


Stones And The Moon

by missgardian



Series: Wolves [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood and Gore, Book 1: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Character Death, Dark Harry Potter, Gen, Hogwarts First Year, Injury, Legilimency, Morally Grey Harry Potter, Murder, My own version of werewolves, Nice Severus Snape, Occlumency, Parseltongue, Powerful Harry Potter, Smart Harry Potter, Violence, Werewolf Harry Potter, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-09
Updated: 2020-01-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:46:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 98,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22190530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missgardian/pseuds/missgardian
Summary: Harry is finally heading off to Hogwarts with his snowy owl, his head held up high, and personal secrets lurking deep within.He wants to trust the new friends he's made, but when you've grown up not having any, and all the people you've known have always broken your trust, you find it difficult to open up and tell them things about yourself.The very secrets that are hurting him every single day, the ones that make him lie to the people around him once a month and have them worried sick about where he's been or what's wrong with him, why he's not in classes.And on top of all of that, there's something really weird going on in the school. Why does he feel like there's danger lurking nearby? Is it just the paranoia? Or is it something more? He hates not having answers.
Relationships: Albus Dumbledore & Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy & Harry Potter, Harry Potter & Ron Weasley, Harry Potter & Severus Snape, Hermione Granger & Harry Potter, Minerva McGonagall & Harry Potter, Rubeus Hagrid & Harry Potter
Series: Wolves [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589911
Comments: 131
Kudos: 514





	1. The Train Ride

**Author's Note:**

> This is the second instalment of my Wolves series! The Philosopher’s Stone AU :D 
> 
> I really didn’t think I’d get this far but I’ve received such positive feedback from such nice people that it’s boosted my motivation right up!
> 
> Thank you to everyone who commented and kudos on the last book, I hope you enjoy this one too! <3

It was Harry's last month with the Dursley's and, to be honest, he didn't really mind as much. He knew he'd be saying goodbye to them soon and so he was constantly filled with excitement. Nothing they said or did truly brought him down. 

When he got back from Diagon Alley with Hagrid, they were all wound up and annoyed with him. Uncle Vernon was red faced with anger and yelling at him, telling him to throw away his stupid bird or he'd cook it, of all things. She squealed angrily at him. 

Aunt Petunia obviously knew that this would be the situation as she didn't look surprised by the owl at all. She just rolled her eyes and scoffed. It wasn't until Harry impulsively decided to bring out his wand and threaten to use a spell on uncle Vernon that her eyes went wide. 

"Just put that down, right now." She warned. "You know you can't use magic outside of school." 

"That still won't stop me from turning you into a shoe." Harry glared hatefully at uncle Vernon, who was slowly backing up in fear.

"You don't know any spells, at all." Uncle Vernon grinned at him.

Harry decided to bluff. "Of course I do. I'm a wizard, I was born to know spells. They're all here in my head." He glared. Uncle Vernon seemed to believe him because he just gulped. 

"What do you want from us?" Aunt Petunia snapped at him. "Do you want us to bend to your every command?" 

_’Well, as nice as that would be, considering it would be fitting revenge, I'm not that kind of person.'_ Harry thought to himself.

"No. I want you to leave me alone, I'm going to school and that's final." He said, putting his foot down. "I want you to leave my owl alone and don't go through my things or I will use a spell on you." Again, he was bluffing. He didn't want to get expelled before he even got there, but the fear on their stupid faces was worth it.

"Fine." Aunt Petunia snapped. "Anything else?" She asked sarcastically.

"Yes." He grinned at her shocked face. "I want out of the cupboard. I can’t stay in there anymore, it's too cramped and it smells bad. Plus, my owl and trunk have nowhere to go." 

Aunt Petunia looked to uncle Vernon for a second before they both reluctantly nodded. "Fine then, you can have Dudley's spare room."

"But, mummy!" Dudley whines from where he was standing off to the side, listening in. "I need that room for all my stuff." 

"Well, clearly Harry here needs it more." She scoffed. 

Harry just glared at her and walked away upstairs, ignoring Dudley's irritated cries. He stormed into the spare bedroom and winced at the smell. He sighed and decided it was better than downstairs. He'd move some stuff around and spray it with an entire bottle of air freshener by the end of the night and then he could relax, get tucked up into an actual bed which was in the corner and ride out the awful storm that was coming. 

He shoved Dudley's toys and old birthday presents that he's broken into the cupboard and drawers, moved the rest into the corners and kicked some stuff under the bed. Then he went downstairs to get the air freshener and did as he promised he would. Sprayed it everywhere, starting with the bed. Then he moved onto the floor, inside the cupboard, the walls, cabinets and curtains on the windows.

By the time he'd finished, the place smelled relatively nice and he decided he could manage it in here. 

He threw the bottle away and went downstairs to the cupboard to fetch his last vial of potion he'd need for tonight. He hid it under his pillow and sat back on the bed, trying to relax, rubbing his tired eyes.

Once he'd caught his breath, he decided to open his trunk up and look through some of his books. He found some potions books and looked through the ingredients. They all had fancy names like aconite and boomslang skin. 

He didn't know what that was but he kept reading it all until he started to figure some of it out, with a smile on his face. 

He didn't know if he'd be any good at potions but he just figured he'd pick it up as he practiced. Practise makes perfect, as they say.

_'Now that I think about it, it's a little bit like cooking. The cauldron is the pot and then you have the ingredients. I might be good at it, after all.'_ He thought happily. 

He found History of Magic and decided to try and educate himself a little bit on this. He didn't want to go into the wizarding world and school not knowing anything. It would be an embarrassment, plus he might say something offensive and have no idea.

It mentions Hogwarts houses at school and their founders, which he already heard a little bit about from Hagrid. He was still a little bit upset at his prejudice against this Slytherin House. After all, it talks about ambition and cleverness. That's something that should definitely be appreciated in school children. 

But because of stigma around it, that makes people hate it, which is so stupid, Harry thinks. It does not make you evil because some bad people came from a house. You're evil because you choose to be evil, that's all. 

These people just so happen to come from this house, that's all. Nothing more or less. 

He bets there's tons of other witches and wizards that have came from other houses, too, but people just don't talk about it or don't know about it. He rolls his eyes at all these dramatics.

What if he gets placed into Slytherin House? Will that make people hate him? Oh well, it's not like he cares. He's already hated enough in the world, what's a few more people? He shakes his head and sighs. Whatever. 

He continued reading the book until it talks about magical creatures. This makes him sit up straighter. It doesn't give too much detail but it just gives a slight description of each magical being that exists in their world, like what Dumbledore told him. Although he did say he'll learn more about it in a couple of years. 

It talks about unicorns and how they're sacred beings, giants and how people fear them. _’I really do wonder if Hagrid is a giant. If he is, there's nothing to be scared of.'_ It talks about vampires and how they hide in forests away from civilians, only coming out to drink blood. They're pretty unsociable. It talks about centaurs, half humans and half horse like creatures who can read the stars. And then it talks about werewolves, people who transform into wolf like states once a month under the full moon without any control, unless they take Wolfsbane Potion. 

Well, he's definitely educated on that part. He continues reading the book, anyway. 

It talks about stuff to do with blood status and offensive terms. He makes a mental note of what not to call someone, a horrible word that starts with 'm'. Did people call his mother words like that? He hopes not! 

When he was skimming over some pages, he came across the name Hedwig and decided that would be a pretty good name for his owl. There was just something pretty about it.

"Do you like that name, girl?" He asked her with a raised eyebrow.

She tilted her head then nodded, cooing softly. She then tucked her head into her wing and went to sleep. Harry smiled at her. 

He read the book, keeping an eye out on the sky through the open window, which was now beginning to darken and decided to take his potion now that he felt his bones and muscles begin to throb. He chugged it back and grimaced, dumping the vial into the bin beside the bed. 

He put his books back into his trunk and shut the blinds, the moonlight was beginning to appear through some clouds and it was making his skin itch when the light touched him. 

He wrapped the blankets around himself and shuddered in pain, trembles beginning to wrack through his body. He bit down on his pillow hard and started taking deep breaths to calm himself down. His skin felt like it was going to split open and his nails dug into his palms making them bleed. He bit into his cheeks and tongue, mouth filling with blood which he swallowed regrettably, and tears filled his eyes. His belly and chest hurt, it was painful to breath.

He got the fear that he was actually going to change back into the wolf like state he faintly remembers from last time, the horrible pain of his clothes tearing away and then hearing his growl and howling. But he still stayed in bed. 

He supposed the potion really was working in stopping him from changing but that doesn't stop the pain. He started crying into the pillow, he seriously thought his back was going to break and his internal organs were going to burst. He thought his brain was going to turn to mush and dribble out his nose and ears and his eyeballs were going to explode. 

He wanted it all to end. He wanted to die. 

The worst part of it was that it went on for _hours._ He tried to go to sleep, tried to forget about it if he was unconscious. But sleep never came. Every time he closed his eyes, they'd shoot open as another wave of pain wracked through his body making him writhe. He was clawing at his arms and leaving cuts that he just knew would scar horribly. Well, that's what long sleeves are for. 

His body didn't even have the courtesy of letting him pass out. He stayed fully conscious the entire bloody night. It was unbearable. He never wants to go through this again. But he knows he'll have to, for the rest of his life. This time next month it'll be the same thing again. Why can't he just catch a break?

Eventually, after several hours of writhing and crying and bleeding and pain, he felt himself pass out, only when he looked out the window and saw the sky begin to lighten. Must be the sun rising then. Hallelujah!

When he woke up later that day, he didn't know what time it was. Only that he was the most exhausted he'd ever been in his entire life. And that's saying something. 

His whole body hurt and when he looked down at himself, he was covered in scratches. 

He remembers it all, though. He wishes he didn't, that was horrific. But he remembers every last detail. He stands up slowly and sees Hedwig glancing at him worriedly. He goes over to her and lets her out her cage, giving her some food and stroking her feathers. She gently nips at his fingers and coos at him. 

"I'm alright, girl. I promise." He smiles. She eyes him before giving a nod. 

He opens the window and she goes flying out, stretching her wings and going for a hunt.

He quietly heads for the bathroom to get cleaned up and takes a quick shower, surprised to find the house so quiet. 

When he finally gets dressed, he heads downstairs and sees aunt Petunia and Dudley enjoying each other's company, sitting watching tv together. He looks at the time on the clock in the living room and it reads three thirty pm. 

_'Whoa! I slept right in...'_ Harry thought to himself with wide eyes.

He doesn’t let them know he’s here, he doesn’t want to deal with them, so he heads to the kitchen and makes himself some toast, rebelliously deciding to steal some of Dudley’s strawberry jam. He sighs as the hunger pains go away and drinks a giant glass of water with some painkillers he stole from the cupboard. 

He then heads back upstairs and decides to stay out the way. He now has his own place he can properly sit and rest, he has his own belongings to keep himself occupied. He just wants to lay back in bed and feel better. So, that’s what he does. 

He collapses on the bed, shuts his eyes and immediately falls straight back to sleep.

* * *

As the month went by, he started to feel a little better. The only thing that truly kept his spirits up was the fact that he knew he’d be going to Hogwarts soon. 

He grinned mischievously every time aunt Petunia caught his eye and she scoffed, storming off. 

Both Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon decided to leave him alone, obviously realising he wasn't worth the bother. He was thankful for that.

Dudley also stayed clear of him, only glaring at him or banging into his shoulder before quickly taking off to another room. Prat.

He was actually quite lucky that they never came into his room, otherwise they'd see all the dead mice that Hedwig kept bringing in. He kept having to throw them out the window with a cringe.

He just kept to himself for a few weeks, only coming downstairs when necessary. He had plenty to entertain himself with. 

* * *

Harry was reading a transfiguration book when Dudley ran past his room and slammed on the door. 

“Go answer the door, cousin! I’m going in a bubble bath.” He yelled childishly.

Harry scoffed and got up, heading downstairs to see who was there. He was rubbing at his tired eyes. It was just the mail as usual, so he picked it up and threw aunt Petunia’s rubbish on the dining room table where she’d find it and noticed another letter with his name on it.

He raised his eyebrows and opened it. Inside, yet again, he received another three vials of the Wolfsbane Potion. He sighed with relief. He expected it to come. If it didn’t, he wouldn’t know what to do...

He’d mail Hagrid, probably.

There was also a note inside. It had no name or signature but it was clearly addressed to him. 

__

> _Mr. Potter,_
> 
> _Drink up. I understand that it must taste horrible, yet you should be fully aware of that by now_
> 
> _Do not forget, unless you want everyone to see your furry little problem. I assume you know the rules. But in case you don’t, I shall repeat them to you_
> 
> _Take one vial a day, for three days, counting up to the moon. Not that difficult a concept, I’m sure your pre adolescent brain can understand_
> 
> _Good luck_

What the heck? Who was this? They were so rude. A little funny, though, he must admit. But that could be because he grew up with the Dursley’s so he’s developed a dark sense of humour. 

This person was clearly trying to sound hostile, as if they didn’t like him very much, and to be honest, it kind of offended him considering he didn’t even know who it was. But the “furry little problem” comment had him snorting, he’s not going to lie. He’ll have to remember that one. 

Whoever thought that would be an insult was clearly mistaken.

He grinned and shook his head, crumpling up the paper and tossing it in the bin. He then took the vials upstairs to his room and hid them under his pillow, saving one of them for tonight.

It seemed as if the month went by so quickly, but that’s just because he was constantly on his feet, jumping around with excitement. These next three days will be hell but he’ll deal with it just like he did last time. Then he’ll be able to fix himself up and finally head off to Hogwarts! 

Thank God the full moon night didn’t fall exactly on the day he was supposed to go. That would have been the worst. It’s a couple days before, and he’ll surely look rubbish but he doesn’t care about that.

It was late at night and Harry did his usual routine, chugged the vial back, cringed and went to bed. This was how it went on for the next couple of days. 

He was of course, in pain, tears and covered in blood. But once it was over, he simply got up, washed himself off, took some pain medicine, ate breakfast, hydrated, and held his head up high. 

Once he mustered up enough energy, he went up to uncle Vernon who was lounging about on the sofa watching tv. 

“I need you to drop me off at the train station tomorrow.” Harry said bluntly. Seeing his eyebrows raise, he continued. “King’s Cross, tomorrow morning. I can’t miss my train.” 

Uncle Vernon eyed him before grunting. “Fine...” he mumbled, obviously still wary of him using magic on him. “But don’t you talk to me about magic carpets or anything like that!”

Harry smiled sarcastically. “Of course not, uncle Vernon.” He walked back to his room to put all his things back together in his trunk, making sure not to leave anything behind. 

He made sure to go to bed extra early that night, both exhausted from the past few days of his stupid transformation episodes and wanting to catch up on sleep, plus he wanted to make sure he’d wake up super early in the morning. 

He set an alarm for five am and woke up, jumping out of bed, grinning. He ran downstairs after getting himself ready and made himself a decent breakfast for once. He didn’t care about getting in trouble by the Dursley’s. It’s not like they could ground him or anything, he wouldn’t be here.

After a couple of hours, they finally woke up and Harry pestered uncle Vernon to hurry up, wanting to get to the platform as quickly as possible. 

He eventually relented with a glare, saying how he wanted the little tyke out of their way already, because he was being a menace. 

He drove him to the train station and they both looked around. 

“What are we looking for, boy?” uncle Vernon’s grumpy voice spoke up.

“It says here I’ve to look for platform nine and three quarters. What does that mean?” Harry asked with raised eyebrows.

Uncle Vernon smirked at Harry. “Well, take a look around. There’s platform nine, there’s platform ten.” He pointed to them. “It doesn’t look like they’ve built your magical one yet, does it?” 

“But-“ Harry was cut short by uncle Vernon’s loud laugh as he took off towards his car, driving off and leaving Harry there, gaping at him. Well, what to do now? Harry sighed and went up to a guard who was standing nearby and asked him about platform nine and three quarters, but he just laughed at him. “Well, what about the train that leaves at eleven?”

“There is none.” The man rolled his eyes and walked off. “Bloody time waster...” he mumbled rudely under his breath.

Harry didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t given any other instructions. Does he write to Hagrid? People were now starting to look at him funny, considering he’s standing in the middle of a train station with a trunk and an owl. 

He shifted nervously on the spot until his ears picked up a distant voice. 

“This place is packed with muggles.” A woman’s voice spoke.

Harry’s eyes went wide, _muggles._ That’s a wizard term. She must be one, he has to follow her, she’ll know something. He looks around and spots her off to a wall, standing with a bunch of kids, all with red hair like hers. 

They’re talking to a little girl named Ginny who apparently wants to go somewhere but isn’t old enough. Where does she want to go?

“Percy, you go first.” Harry watched intently to see what was going on when suddenly his eyes went wide. The boy ran full speed at the wall but instead of slamming into it, he ran through it. Nobody else around them seemed to notice, either.

“Fred, you next.” The woman told a tall looking boy. 

“I’m not Fred, I’m George!” 

Another boy who was his double, spoke up. “Honestly woman, you call yourself our mother?” He shook his head.

The woman looked sad. “Oh, I’m sorry George.” 

Suddenly the boy grinned at her and ran at the wall, disappearing. “Only kidding, I am Fred!” 

She scoffed and glared at him. Then his twin, who must be the real George, grinned at her and ran after him through the wall. 

Harry was staring in shock the entire time. How were they doing that?

He shook himself out of his thoughts and went up to her. “Excuse me? How did you-“ He pointed to the wall.

She smiled at him sweetly. “First time at Hogwarts, dear?” Seeing his nod, she looked to the boy standing next to her. “It’s Ron’s first time going, too.” The boy smiled at him and Harry nervously smiled back. They seemed friendly enough, he supposed. “You want to know how to get onto the platform?”

“Yeah, I’ve never done it before.” Harry said awkwardly.

“Not to worry.” She told him with a smile. “All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you’re nervous.” She nodded to him. “Go on, don’t be shy.”

Harry took in a deep breath and looked at the wall. It looked very solid, but seeing everyone else do it, he had faith that he would go through it instead of cracking his head open. 

He ran as fast as he could with his eyes closed and when he opened them, he was standing on another platform surrounded by a bunch of people. They were wearing robes and colourful jumpers with stripes on them, holding brooms, some people had animals like cats or birds like him, all the kids had trunks too, and the most noticeable thing was the gigantic red steam train.

He grinned widely and walked around people, heading for the train. When he got onboard, he looked for an empty compartment. He overheard snippets of conversations from lots of people. 

There was a boy hanging out a window looking upset. “Gran, I’ve lost my toad again.”

An old woman who was talking to him from outside sighed. “Oh dear, Neville.” She shook her head.

Harry just walked on. 

There was a kid with dreadlocks who was gathering a crowd. “Look what I have!”

“Let us see, Lee!” People we’re asking excitedly.

The kid was holding a giant hairy tarantula in his hands. Surely that wasn’t on the approved list for Hogwarts animals. 

He shuddered and continued walking.

He finally found an empty compartment and sighed. He tried to put away his cage and trunk but couldn’t reach the shelves above the doors, dropping the trunk on his foot. “Ow!” He winced.

Suddenly, two pairs of feet were in front of him. “Want a hand?” A familiar voice spoke up. It was one of the twins.

“Yes, thanks.” He said relieved.

The guy smiled and yelled. “Oi, Fred! Come here and help!” So this must be George. The other twin came over and they both took the trunk and cage from him, putting it away. He smiled thankfully.

“What’s that?” One of the twins who’s name he’s now forgotten spoke up, pointing to the scar on his forehead.

“Blimey! No way.” The other twin gasped. “Are you-“ 

“He is.” The other twin finished for him. “Aren’t you?” 

“You’re Harry Potter.” The other one grinned. 

Harry turned bright red and just nodded. 

The boys both looked to each other and smirked. “Well, nice to meet you.” They chorused and took off. 

_‘They’re kinda weird... but that’s not so bad.’_ He thought funnily to himself.

When he looked back out the window, he saw the Ron boy getting fussed over by his mum who kept wiping at his nose with a tissue. “Stay still, Ron! There’s something on your nose.” 

“Gerroff!” Ron growled and Harry couldn’t help but snort.

He saw the twins suddenly appear and start to mock him. 

“Aw, has little ickle Ronniekins got something on his nosie?” One of the twins asked and Ron went beet red.

“Shut up!” He snapped.

Suddenly one of the boys from before came up to them. He was now dressed in fancy robes which had a shiny pin on them. 

“Percy, there you are.” Their mum exclaimed relieved. 

“I can’t stay long, mother. I have to go be with the other prefects. We have compartments to ourselves.” Percy said smugly.

One of the twins acted shocked. “Oh my goodness, are you a prefect, Percy? You should have told us!” 

“Wait, I think I remember him saying something about it. Maybe once-“

“Or twice-“

“A minute-“

“All summer-“

“Just shut up, both of you!” Percy snapped at the twins. 

Their mother just rolled her eyes, obviously used to this behaviour. “On you go dear, have a good term.” Once he left, she turned on the twins. “Now, you two behave! I don’t want any letters home saying you’ve blown up toilets or something.”

“We’ve never blown up a toilet.” One of the twins said shocked.

“Great idea though, thanks mum.” The other one grinned.

Harry let out a snort hearing this. Heaven help him if he ends up in the same house as them and has to see them every day.

“Not funny.” She glared. “Look after Ron.” 

“Don’t worry. Ickle Ronniekins is safe with us.” They both smirked as he went pale.

“Hey mum, guess what?” The other twin suddenly spoke up with a grin. “You know that boy who was on the platform? You’ll never guess who it was.” 

Seeing her eyebrow raise, both boys chorused excitedly. “Harry Potter!”

Harry’s eyes went wide from where he was sitting. He didn’t like people talking about him, good thing he has super sensitive hearing now. He’ll be able to find out whoever’s talking about him behind his back. He listened in carefully.

“Are you sure?” The woman asked with wide eyes.

“Yup. We saw his scar, it was in the same shape of lightening like people said it would be.” One of the twins spoke up enthusiastically. “Although he does have a bunch of other scars on his face. What’s that from?” 

“Enough of that!” The woman scolded. “That boy isn’t something you should be staring at like he belongs in a zoo, he’s just a boy.” She snapped, defending him. Harry was grateful for that. “The poor thing, no wonder he was alone, I wondered. He was ever so polite when he asked how to get onto the platform.”

“Never mind that, do you think he remembers what You-Know-Who looks like?" One of the twins asked with raised eyebrows.

Harry gulped nervously.

Their mother suddenly became very stern. 

"I forbid you to ask him, Fred.” She snapped. “Don't you dare think about it. As though he needs reminding of that on his first day at school.”

"All right, it was just a question.” Fred spoke up.

“One you won’t ask.” She glared. Fred just nodded.

Suddenly, a whistle sounded. 

She told the three of them to quickly get on the train after hugging them goodbye. After about a minute, there was a massive jerk. The train started moving slowly at first before picking up speed, driving by houses and buildings, leaving behind everything. Harry’s stomach was swooshing excitedly.

He was rubbing at his still tired eyes when the compartment door slid open and the boy named Ron stood there nervously.

“Hi, can I sit here? Everywhere else is full.” He asked.

“Sure, go ahead.” Harry shrugged and he jumped into the seat across from him. He pretended he didn’t notice the red haired boy quickly glancing at his forehead every now and then.

There was a laugh from the doorway. “Hey Ronniekins.” One of the twins from before spoke up.

“Lee Jordan has a giant spider and we’re gonna go see it, want to come?” The other one asked with a grin.

“You know I don’t!” Ron snapped and gave a shudder. 

The twins giggled to themselves and turned to Harry. 

“Harry, we didn’t properly introduce ourselves earlier, did we? Fred and George Weasley.” They smiled. “And this is our little brother Ron.”

“See you round, then.” The other spoke up and they both left.

After a minute of silence, the boy across from him cleared his throat and decided to speak. “Are you really Harry Potter?”

Harry just nodded.

“Oh. I thought it might be one of Fred and George's jokes.” Ron mumbled. “And have you really got the... you know..." he asked, looking towards his forehead.

Harry just sighed and lifted up his fringe covering the scar. Ron stared, mouth agape.

"So that's where You-Know-Who...” he trailed off.

"Yes," said Harry, "but I can't remember it.” 

"Nothing?" said Ron eagerly.

"Well, I remember a lot of green light and then nothing.” Harry shrugged. “Like in my dreams sometimes. But that’s only happened a few times.” He tried to act casual, he doesn’t like talking about things like this.

“Oh.” Ron mumbled. 

“Are all your family wizards?” Harry asked as to not have any awkward silence.

“Yeah, I believe so.” Ron said with a thoughtful expression. 

“So you must know loads of magic already then.” Harry raised an eyebrow.

“My mum and dad do. My dad loves muggle things. You lived with muggles, right?” Ron asked. “What are they like?”

Harry cringed. “Horrible.” Ron gaped. “Well, not all of them. But my aunt, uncle and cousin are. I wish I had three wizard brothers.”

“Five.” Ron said gloomily. “I’m the sixth in my family. And then there’s Ginny, my little sister. I feel like I have loads to live up to.” He sighed. 

Harry just smiled sympathetically at him. Suddenly he heard a squeak. “What’s that?” He said, looking around.

Ron reached into his pocket and pulled out a grey rat which _stank._ “This is Scabbers, he’s the family pet. He’s completely useless and doesn’t wake up unless it’s to eat.” 

Harry pinched his nose and turned his head away. Stupid nose, picking things up. He doesn’t want to seem rude, but this rat just smells so bad. “When do you give him baths?”

“Uh...” Ron’s ears went pink. “We assume he cleans himself. Like cats.” Seeing Harry cringe, he nods. “I’ll be sure to give him a bath.” 

Harry nodded, thankfully.

Ron gave Scabbers some pieces of food which he had in his pockets and put him back, then the stupid thing went back to sleep. Thank God.

The boys continued to talk about all different kinds of things, like what it was like growing up in different worlds.

Harry told Ron about what it was like growing up in the muggle world, not knowing about magic.

“I didn’t even know I was a wizard until recently.” Harry said seriously. Ron looked shocked. “My aunt Petunia wasn’t happy when she knew I’d found out. Then Dumbledore and Hagrid has to come and explain so much to me.” He laughed, leaving out _certain_ parts. “It was mental.” 

“It sounds like it.” Ron giggled. 

“I didn’t even know about my parents or Voldemort.” Harry shrugged.

Suddenly, Ron gasped. “You said You-Know-Who’s name!” 

“So?” Harry raised an eyebrow.

“I just thought... out of all the people, you wouldn’t want to, because of, well...” He stammered. 

“It’s just a name, Ron. It can’t hurt me. And I’m not scared of this man.” He said seriously.

“Okay, good. I wouldn’t want you to be.” Ron smiled. “Does the scar hurt?” He asked nervously.

“No, it’s just ugly.” Harry shrugged. “Like the rest.” He mumbled, pointing to his face.

“That’s not true. I mean, I don’t know what happened but it’s not ugly.” Ron said suportively . “You look like you’ve been in battle like a soldier!” He grinned.

Harry laughed. “Thanks, I suppose. But it’s not that cool.” He sighed. “I was just attacked by a stupid dog.” He bluffed again. If he had to go with something, he’d always go with that. He likes Ron, they could be good friends. But he doesn’t want to scare him away by telling him what he is.

Ron just smiled sympathetically at him. Harry appreciated it.

Eventually conversation switched up to classes. 

“What classes do you think you’ll be good at?” Ron asked.

“Well, I read up on a bunch of books before coming here. I think I’ll be good at potions, who knows.” Harry shrugged. 

Ron raised his eyebrows. “Really?”

“Yeah.” He said with some confidence. “I’m good at cooking considering I did it all the time for my relatives, and potion making seems as if it’s a little bit like cooking.” He said with a grin. “So, I might not suck.” 

Ron just snorted at him.

Soon enough, when they were way out of London and saw some sheep and cows in fields, a lady with a trolley came by. “Anything from the trolley, dears?” She asked with a smile.

Ron just held up a squashed sandwich and shook his head. “I’m all set, thanks.” He looked and sounded miserable.

Harry took pity on him, he’s been there. He got out the money he had in his pocket and grinned at the lady. “We’ll take as much as we can pay for.” She looked shocked for a second before laughing. 

She handed him over a whole bunch of sweets of different kinds, sitting them on the chair next to him. He thanked her and she left. He then told Ron to dig in.

“Wait, you did that for me?” He asked with raised eyebrows.

“Of course I did. You’re my friend.” He said with a smile, then halted. Were they? Was he being too forward? “I mean, that’s if-“

“Friends!” Ron stuck his hand out with a smile and Harry let out a relieved breath, shaking his hand. His first human friend. Not counting the serpent one back in Surrey. 

They both laughed as they got the giggles from eating too much sugar. 

Harry picked up something he saw someone in the Leaky Cauldron eating when he was there with Hagrid, a weird looking frog.

“Ron, what is this?” He asked confused.

“Those are chocolate frogs.” He grinned. Harry grimaced and put it down, scooting far away from it. Ron laughed. “They’re not real frogs, Harry. It’s just chocolate that’s charmed to move like that.”

Harry nodded, acting as if that was what’s bothering him when actually it was the chocolate itself. _‘The smell is revolting.’_ He holds in a gag. He notices the box has a card on the front though and quickly goes to snatch it up. 

On the front of the card is a picture of Albus Dumbledore. The man who came to see him at his home. He’s smiling at him in the picture.

He flips the card over and on the back it reads,

**ALBUS DUMBLEDORE**

**CURRENTLY HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTS**

Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling

Harry snorts and turns the card back over. He frowns, noticing that he’s gone from the picture.

“Where did he go?” He asks.

“He’s gone. You can’t expect him to stick around all day, can you?” Ron asked whilst munching on some pasties.

They took turns trying out some Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans, sometimes smiling at a flavour and other times gagging.

“I swear, George reckon he ended up with a bogey flavoured one, once.” Ron grimaced. 

The train took them into darkness, where there were forests and rivers. It was a spooky but beautiful sight.

Soon enough, there was a knock at their door. The boy that Harry saw earlier talking to his gran was standing there, tearful. 

“Have either of you seen a toad, at all?” When they both shook their heads he wailed. “I’ve lost him! He keeps getting away from me.”

“He’ll show up.” Harry said, trying to sound supportive.

The boy nodded and walked off. 

“I don’t know why he’s so upset over a toad, I’d try and lose it as quickly as possible.” Ron shrugged. He then glanced at Scabbers and placed him back on his lap gently. “But sometimes I wish I could get rid of this thing, too.” He cringed. “I tried turning him yellow yesterday but nothing happened, look.” He sighed. 

He got out his wand and was about to cast a spell when the door opened again, a bushy haired girl entering. “Have either of you seen a toad? A boy named Neville’s lost one.” She asked in a bossy sort of voice.

“We already told him no.” Ron said and went back to his spell. He was interrupted by the girl, though.

“Are you doing magic? Let’s see, then.” She grinned and sat down. Ron looked shocked. 

He turned back to Scabbers and raised his wand. 

“Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid, fat rat yellow.” He waved his wand but nothing happened.

He sighed in disappointment.

“Are you sure that's a real spell?" She said with a smirk. "Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard.” She rambled on. “I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough. I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?"

She spoke so quickly it was hard to keep up.

“I’m Ron Weasley.” Ron mumbled.

“Harry Potter.” Harry nodded.

“Are you really?" She asked with wide eyes. “I know all about you, of course. I got a few extra books, for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century.”

"Am I?" Harry asked with wide eyes.

"Goodness, didn't you know? I'd have found out everything I could if it was me.” She said. “Do either of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best. I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad...” she said thoughtfully. “Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon.”

She walked off, leaving both boys gaping after her. 

“I do not want to end up in a house with her.” Ron exclaimed loudly.

“Hmm.” Harry said absentmindedly. He didn’t want to make too many judgements, too quickly. 

“Did you hear about Gringotts?” Ron spoke up with wide eyes.

“What?” 

“Someone tried to rob a high security vault. It was all over the Daily Prophet.” Ron said shocked.

Harry’s eyes went wide. “What happened to them?”

“They haven’t been caught! That’s why it’s such big news.” Ron said fidgeting. “They say it must have been a really powerful dark wizard to pull something like this off, if you’re able to break into Gringotts. People freak out thinking it’s You-Know-Who.” 

Harry sighed and decided to change topic of conversation. He didn’t like talking about Voldermort, he was a madman who doesn’t deserve his time or energy.

They started talking about quidditch, Ron going into deeper details of explaining the rules than Hagrid did and telling him about all the different teams. Harry actually thought it sounded interesting and decided he might find himself becoming a fan or player in the future. 

Suddenly, there was yet another bang on the door. _‘Who is it now?’_

Three boys stood there and Harry immediately recognised the skinny, pale, blonde one from Madam Malkin’s. He was looking Harry up and down with extreme interest.

“So it’s true?” He asked with a raised eyebrow. “They’re all saying on the train that Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts. It’s you, isn’t it?”

“One and only.” Harry narrowed his eyes at him. He still didn’t like this boy.

“This is Crabbe and Goyle.” He gestured to his two bodyguards standing either side of him. “And I’m Malfoy. Draco Malfoy.” He said snootily. 

Ron let out a cough which may have been to hide a chuckle but Malfoy clearly caught him. 

“Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford.” He spat at him. Then he turned back to Harry. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there.” He said, holding out his hand.

Harry looked down at his hand and up into his eyes, glaring. “I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself, thanks.” 

“I'd be careful if I were you, Potter.” Malfoy said bitterly. “Unless you're a bit politer, you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you.” He smirked.

Both Harry and Ron stood up, furious.

"Say that again, Malfoy!” Ron yelled, his face as red as his hair. 

"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" Malfoy sneered. 

"Unless you get out now.” Harry growled, feeling the beginning sparks of anger starting to rise up in him. He was still recovering from his full moon night, he doesn’t need this. He didn’t care that Crabbe and Goyle were a lot bigger than him or Ron, he’d gladly tear them apart. 

Calm down, deep breaths. 

"But we don't feet like leaving, do we, boys?” Malfoy said cockily.

Harry cracked his neck and took deep breaths. This prat had to go or he’d put his head through a wall. “Get out, Malfoy.” He whispered dangerously. “Now.” He spat. 

Something must have spooked him because Malfoy’s demeanour changed. He went from cocky aristocrat to scared kitty cat, backing up out of the compartment and down the hall, his bodyguards following him. 

Ron slammed the door shut behind them and after a few seconds of silence, burst out laughing. 

“That was bloody brilliant!”

“What?” Harry asked confused. 

“You nearly made Malfoy wet himself!” Ron grinned. “You got this, like, dangerous look in your eye and I seriously thought you were gonna jump on him.” Ron said, holding his chest dramatically. 

“So did I.” Harry mumbled. He sat back down and rested his head against the window, taking calming breaths. Ron sat across from him and was still giggling, loving every second.

After five minutes, they decided to change into their school robes. Harry’s were brand new and clean where Ron’s looked like hand-me-downs and they were a little on the short side, as you could see his shoes. 

Soon, they heard a voice above:

_“We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately.”_

They shrugged and left their stuff, heading down the hallways and towards the doors when the train eventually stopped. Harry’s nerves were running wild, his stomach was churning. But Ron stayed by his side the entire time which made him happy.

They were on the platform outside, in the freezing cold, when suddenly he heard a familiar booming voice. 

“Firs’ years! Firs’ years, over here! All right there, Harry!” Hagrid smiled at him, holding a lamp, big bushy beard flapping in the wind.

“Hi, Hagrid.” He smiled back, waving.

“C'mon, follow me, any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"

Nearly slipping on their backsides, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark, nobody could see anything. The only source of light was from the lamp Hagrid was carrying. Nobody spoke much. Neville, the boy who kept losing his toad, whimpered every now and again.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec!” Hagrid called over his shoulder. “Jus' round this bend here.” 

Suddenly everyone gasped.

The path had finally opened onto the edge of the great black lake. Perched on top of a high mountain on the other side, the windows sparkling in the starry sky, towers pointing upwards, was a giant castle. Hogwarts. 

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid yelled out, pointing to all the little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Harry and Ron were followed into their boat by Neville and Hermione. 

Ron rolled his eyes.

"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who obviously had a boat to himself. Seeing everyone nod, he clapped his hands. “Right then. Forward!” 

Suddenly, the boats starting moving towards the direction of the castle, everyone giggling and shrieking excitedly at what was going on.

They reached a cliff and Hagrid yelled at them to duck, so they wouldn’t crack their heads open. They all swam inside what looked like a tunnel which was taking them underneath the castle, everyone’s voices bouncing off the walls.

Eventually they got off the boats, everyone trying to steady themselves. 

Hagrid then let out a loud yelp. “Oi, you there! Is this yer toad?” He pointed to the boy named Neville and back at the little toad who was laying on the pebbles, croaking happily. 

“Trevor!” Neville yelled happily, running forward and grabbing him gently. “Where’ve you been?” 

“He didn’ get very far, now did ‘e?” Hagrid said with a smile. “Nearly stepped on the wee bugger, mind ye.” Hagrid said with a frown. 

“Well, thanks.” Neville said, putting Trevor in his pocket for safety. Hagrid nodded and led them indoors, where they took a bunch of different turns until they walked up a giant staircase, stopping outside a room. 

“Everyone ‘ere?” He asked, looking around. He then turned towards the doors and knocked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3


	2. The Sorting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Sorting Ceremony, a mysterious black haired teacher and random pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see, we’re officially canon now! So you’ll now know the story and how it’ll go. But there’s still going to be some major differences.
> 
> For example, he’s going to make allies with someone who he’s not actually on friendly terms with in the books/movies, you’ll figure out why, it’s important :)
> 
> Harry is also far more clever in these books than in canon (sorry canon Harry). He found out he was a wizard earlier and read up on magic and educated himself a bit more, so he’s got a bit more determination to succeed in his classes rather than go around getting into trouble

The large doors opened up with a loud creak and a stern looking witch appeared out in front of them. She was wearing green robes and a black pointy hat. She looked like someone Harry didn't want to cross.

"Yer firs's years, Professor McGonagall." Hagrid said with a smile.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I'll take it from here." She said and he nodded, walking away. She then turned to them with a serious expression. "Welcome to Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room." She spoke clearly.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards." She said, looking proud. "While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rulebreaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours." She said with a smile.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." She looked towards Neville who's cloak was on crooked and at Ron who still had a bit of dirt on his nose. They both blushed and tried to fix themselves as she left.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Harry. "How do we get sorted?" He asked Ron.

"I'm not too sure." Rom shrugged. "Fred said it's some sort of test. He said it hurts quite a bit." He shuddered.

Harry gulped. He wasn't nervous about the pain part, whatever it was, he could handle it. But he didn't know any magic yet. He knew spells and incantations, he'd read up on them, but he hadn't had time to practise them. He didn't want to get into trouble from the Dursley's or Hogwarts for using magic outside of school. 

He sighed. _'I'm going to make a fool of myself.'_

Then something made him jump. He heard voices but they weren't coming from around him, they were coming from a distance and they sounded spooky, like they were echoing. 

He focused hard and it sounded like they were getting closer. Nobody else seemed to notice but maybe that's because they don't have super good hearing like him. He got his answers when two figures appeared right above them all, two _ghosts!_

"What the-"

"Forgive and forget, that's what I say." One of the ghosts spoke up. "I believe we should just give him a second chance." 

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves?" The other ghost spoke irritably. "He gives us all a bad name! And he's not even really a ghost- I say, what are you all doing here?" The ghost exclaimed, looking down at all of them.

Suddenly the one known as the Friar spoke up. "Why, it's new students! About to be sorted, I presume?" Seeing all their nods, he smiled. "Well, I hope to see you in my old house, Hufflepuff." He started pointing at people. 

Professor McGonagall then reappeared. "Move along! The Sorting Ceremony is about to begin. Follow me, form a line." She told everyone and they followed her in a line of twos.

Harry's stomach was churning as they walked in the Great Hall. There were so many people and if there really was a test, would he humiliate himself in front of everyone? There were also so many different voices and it was making his ears hurt a little bit. It'll take some time adjusting to all his surroundings these days, as he feels a bit overwhelmed, not knowing which voice to focus on.

He clenches his fists hard.

Hermione was chattering away to someone who wasn't even paying attention. "It's not really the night sky. It's just bewitched to look like it. I read all about it in Hogwarts, A History." She smiled.

Eventually, they reached the end of the hall and Professor McGonagall pulled out a four legged stool, placing an old ripped hat on top of it.

Are they supposed to pull a rabbit out of it?

Then, to his surprise, it starts to sing: 

_"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,_

_But don't judge on what you see,_

_I'll eat myself if you can find_

_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your top hats sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head_

_The Sorting Hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you_

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_

_Where dwell the brave at heart,_

_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_

_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_

_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, if you've a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning,_

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin_

_You'll make your real friends,_

_Those cunning folk use any means_

_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And don't get in a flap!_

_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

_For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

Everyone started cheering whilst Harry just stared. That was pretty random and unexpected. Was this mentioned in Hogwarts, A History? Or did he just not read that far ahead yet? 

Ron sighed beside him. "So we just have to try on a smelly hat? I'm going to kill my brothers. They kept going on about also wrestling a troll." Harry just snorted.

Suddenly, Professor McGonagall got out a piece of paper and said that whenever she'd call out someone's name, they'd come up and sit on the stool and be placed into their house. It didn't sound that hard, at all. 

"Abbot, Hannah!" 

The blonde girl ran up nervously to the hat and sat down. After a few seconds it yelled out.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

She grinned and ran to sit at the Hufflepuff table.

"Bones, Susan!" Another girl sat up on the chair and the hat yelled out.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

She grinned and went to sit with the girl from before.

"Boot, Terry!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

The boy ran quickly to the Ravenclaw table. Everyone there went to shake his hand.

"Broklehurst, Mandy!" Another girl got called up, who immediately went to Ravenclaw too.

"Brown, Lavander." She went straight to Gryffindor, where everyone got up and cheered. 

"Bulstrode, Millicent!" She went straight to Slytherin and they all quietly clapped. They seemed like a calm, collected bunch, rather than the overly enthusiastic people from Gryffindor. Harry wouldn't mind being placed there, if he's being honest. If it means peace and quiet, he'll gladly deal with the stupid stereotypes.

"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!" 

"HUFFLEPUFF!" 

Harry began to notice that sometimes the hat shouted at once and other times it took a bit longer. Interesting. Does that mean some people are harder to read? What if he's difficult to read? What if he doesn't get placed at all? Will he have to leave?

"Finnigan, Seamus!" The boy sat on the stool for nearly a minute before the hat decided on Gryffindor.

"Granger, Hermione!"

Ron looked over to him, nervously. 

She ran up to the stool and jammed the hat onto her head excitedly. It immediately yelled out.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Ron groaned next to him. 

"Longbottom, Neville!" The nervous boy with the toad sat on the stool for a little while before the hat decided on Gryffindor. He smiled nervously before running off to the table still wearing the hat, blushing nervously and handing it over to Morag MacDougal, who was next.

When Malfoy was called up, the hat didn't even need to touch his head before it screamed out.

"SLYTHERIN!"

He grinned and swaggered off towards the Slytherin table with confidence, all the people at the table looking cocky. 

Harry sighed. He didn't mind being placed in Slytherin House, he was above such stereotypes, he educated himself on all of this. But he couldn't stand the idea of staying in a dorm and sharing classes with that prat. What if he tries to kill him in his sleep? Goes through his things? Ruins his school work in class? Gets him in trouble? Now he's grumpy.

There weren't too many people left now. 

"Moon!"

"Nott!"

"Parkinson!"

A pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil!"

"Perks, Sally-Anne!" 

Finally, at last...

"Potter, Harry!"

Harry gulped as he stepped forward, all eyes suddenly turned on him. He could hear all the whispers from the end of the Great Hall.

"Did she say Harry Potter?"

" _The_ Harry Potter?"

The last thing he saw was a crowd of people looking at him before he saw the inside of the hat. Then suddenly, a voice spoke up in his ear.

"Hmm, difficult." Said the small voice. "Very difficult, indeed. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes." The voice spoke proudly. "And a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting... So where shall I put you?" It asked curiously.

Harry gripped the edges of the stool nervously. He didn’t necessarily mind where he went, he just wanted to be treated with respect and make friends for once. He would like to go to the Gryffindor house as apparently that’s where it talked about bravery and he feels as if he’s come a long way since the Dursley’s which requires immense amounts of bravery. 

But he also liked the idea of Slytherin house as it talked about ambition, and he wants to be a good wizard in the future. However, he does _not_ want to be stuck with Draco bloody Malfoy for seven years. 

"Conflicted on houses, eh?” Asked the small voice. "You could be great in Slytherin, you know, it's all here in your head.” It spoke mischievously. “Slytherin will definitely help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that.”

Harry gulped. “I guess so.” It did seem tempting and he was almost so close to saying yes. But the hat seemed to notice his hesitation as it chuckled. 

“But I can sense your anxiety. You’ll make great friends in Gryffindor, I have no doubts about that, either. Plus, your parents went there.” Harry’s eyes lit up in surprise. That was news to him. Well, now he’s definitely intrigued. The hat also seemed to pick up on that and laughed lightly again. 

“Really?” He asked, smiling. He’d definitely want to go to a house where his parents went, it would make him feel a whole lot closer to him. 

“Absolutely.” The hat laughed. “Well, then, if you're sure, then it better be... GRYFFINDOR!” The hat suddenly screamed to the Great Hall. Everyone suddenly got up and started screaming and cheering, the people at the Gryffindor table especially. 

Harry got down off the chair and headed towards the table, everyone leaning in to hug him and pat him on the back. 

The twins were jumping up and down yelling “we got Potter!” 

Harry snorted at their usual behaviour and sat down.

Percy Weasley from the platform shook his hand and one of the ghosts offered but Harry’s hand went straight through his, making him feel ice cold. 

He looked up towards the High Table where all the teachers and faculty members sat and saw Hagrid grinning at him. He gave him a giant thumbs up and Harry waved back. He spotted Dumbledore sitting in the middle and he smiled at him softly over his beard, Harry nodded back. 

He then saw the shakey Professor Quirrell from the Leaky Cauldron, trembling like usual and wearing his usual purple turban. Maybe he should wrap himself up in it because he looks like he’s trembling from the cold, he thought smugly to himself.

There were only three people left to be sorted now. 

"Thomas, Dean!”

A boy joined Harry at the Gryffindor table. 

Turpin, Lisa went on to become a Ravenclaw and then it was Ron's turn. 

He was pale green by now. Harry crossed his fingers under the table, hoping that he’d be at the same table as him, and a second later the hat was on top of his head. It sat there for a minute before screaming out.

“GRYFFINDOR!”

Ron let out a visible sigh of relief and jumped down from the stool, running towards the table and sitting next to Harry.

“Well done, Ron. Very well, done.” Percy spoke up, acting proud. Ron just rolled his eyes at his dramatics.

Finally, one last boy was to be called up. Blaise Zabini was sorted into Slytherin and Professor McGonagall put away the parchment and stool with the hat.

Dumbledore took this as his cue to stand up, arms open with a smile. “Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts, everyone! Before we start our banquet, I would like to say a few words, and here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you.” He sat back down and suddenly everyone’s plates filled with food.

Harry’s nose was instantly filled with all the different scents, it was a little overpowering, to be honest. He could smell things from different tables as everyone was eating all kinds of food. He gulped and tried to focus on his plate only, which he filled with some thin slices of steak and a small amount of mashed potatoes. 

His stomach was still a tad sore from his full moon night the other day and he got a bit nauseous when it came to thinking about large amounts of food. If he wasn’t on his potions, he’d be going in at the meat like a savage, which would be totally disgusting. But thankfully it does its job and quenches the thirst. At least not on moon nights. 

Ron however, shoves massive amounts of chicken into his mouth and eats like he’s starving. He knows he’s no magical creature, he’s been getting good at sniffing things out and he understands that werewolves now smell like dog. Ron doesn’t smell like a dog. 

He’s just a greedy boy and this makes Harry smirk. At least if he ever does lose control, he could just tell Ron that he got super hungry and laugh it off, saying that he eats chicken wings the exact same way. Good excuse to remember. 

Percy is yelling at him to slow down before he chokes and Ron just glares at him. 

Harry looks up at Dumbledore and back at the people at his table, raising an eyebrow. “Is he quite mad?” He asks casually. He doesn’t think he is as he helped him quite a bit, but he’d like to know what other people think. 

“A little bit, yes.” Percy grinned, ignoring his brother. “But he’s still the best wizard in the world.” 

“Hmm.” Harry nodded. 

“That does look good.” Said the ghost who was floating nearby sadly, watching Harry cut up his steak.

"Can't you-“ 

"I haven't eaten for nearly five hundred years.” The ghost sighed. “I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. Oh, I don't think I've introduced myself. Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower.” He grinned. 

"I know who you are!" said Ron suddenly. "My brothers told me about you. You're Nearly Headless Nick!"

“I would prefer if you you called me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy.” The ghost said stiffly, but the bushy haired girl, Hermione Granger, interrupted. 

"Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?"

Sir Nicholas looked irritated, as if their little chat wasn't going at all the way he wanted. 

"Like this.” He said and grabbed his left ear, pulling hard. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder. It looked like someone had tried to behead him, but not done it properly. 

Looking pleased at their stunned faces, Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back onto his neck. “So, new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the house cup this year. Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have won the cup six years in a row. The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable, he's the Slytherin ghost.” He muttered. 

Harry looked over at the Slytherin table and saw a horrible looking ghost sitting there, blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stained with silver looking blood. He was floating right next to Malfoy who, Harry was pleased to see, didn't look too pleased with the seating arrangements, as he kept trying to scoot away with a cringe.

"How did he get covered in blood?" asked Seamus Finnegan with great interest. 

"I've never asked.” Nearly Headless Nick shrugged as much as he could with a head that was nearly falling off his shoulders.

Conversation started to change, people were talking about their home lives, where they’re from. Seamus Finnegan told everyone how he’s half and half, Hermione Granger spoke to everyone proudly that she knew nothing of magic until recently and wished to be the best. Neville told everyone how his family didn’t think he was magic at all and tried dropping him out a window to get him to use magic, which eventually worked.

_‘Sounds a bit obsessive and cruel... but I won’t say.’_ Harry thought to himself. 

“What happened to your face?” The boy named Lee spoke up. “Is it part of your... y’know?” He leaned in and whispered. “Scar.” He gestured towards his forehead.

Harry sighed. “No, it’s not. I was attacked by a dog, that’s all.” Seeing everyone’s shocked faces, he shrugged. “I went to hospital and got treated. All better, see?” He pointed to his face.

“Yeah, but if you didn’t live with muggles, you could have had potions that wouldn’t have left you with any more scars.” A boy named Dean Thomas spoke up. 

“Well, I do live with muggles, so there’s no point in talking about it anymore.” Harry sighed. 

People must have sensed that he didn’t want to talk about it, because they changed the conversation immediately to other things, not bringing it up again. 

Soon enough, they were all done with their dinner and were moving on to desert. Harry picked up a bowl of vanilla ice cream, something to sooth his tummy. Ron, on the other hand, was digging into a chocolate piece of chocolate cake with enthusiasm. Harry scooted away, every so slightly. He didn’t like the smell one bit. And other people around him were eating it, too. He put down his ice cream and clutched a hand over his nose to keep the _stench_ away. 

Percy saw him and raised an eyebrow. “Okay there, Harry?” 

“Yeah, just tired.” He shrugged and pretended to act sleepy, whilst still keeping his hand over his nose. He refused to look in Ron’s direction.

Just as he was beginning to calm himself, Ron spoke up. 

“This cake is brilliant!” He said with a grin. “Harry, you have to try some.” He put a slice on a plate and shoved it in Harry’s direction. Harry pinched his nose harder. 

“I would Ron. But I’m just really tired.” He said with a smile, pushing the plate away, careful not to touch the food. 

“Not even just a teeny bit?” Ron pouted. “Do you hate chocolate or something?” He grinned.

Harry sighed. He may as well just admit it otherwise he’ll probably keep nagging at him. “Kind of, yeah.” He muttered. Seeing Ron’s shocked face, he shrugged. “It makes me feel sick, that’s all.”

“Oh, okay.” Ron mumbled. “I couldn’t handle not being able to eat chocolate, it’s one of my favourite foods.” He said childishly.

Harry just smiled at him. He didn’t know what else to say. It didn’t bother him in the slightest.

Ron went back to eating and Harry put his head on his hand, resting his tired eyes for a few seconds. When he opened them, he tilted his head and was looking back up at the High Table where the staff was. 

Hagrid was drinking from his goblet with a happy expression on his face, Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore and the shaky Professor Quirrell was talking timidly to a man sitting next to him who was wearing black robes and had black hair. 

The man looked bored of the conversation, as if tired of listening to the stuttering like anybody else, and scoffed when Quirrell started shifting around in his seat, constantly looking behind himself, as if something was going to jump out and get him. 

Harry eyed the man, he didn’t know who he was. As if he knew he was being watched, he suddenly turned his head and looked Harry straight in the eyes, staring. 

The man stared him down for a few seconds before pursing his lips and shifting his focus onto his scars. Not the Voldemort scar, the werewolf scars. He was concentrating on them as if examining them and had a slight frown on his face. 

He almost looked concerned. Well, why wouldn’t he be? They were quite an eyesore. And literally quite sore. They were still a little inflamed after these past few days. 

Quirrell was still fumbling around and moving his head back and forward. Harry looked at him, when suddenly a piercing pain shot right through his head. Right where his scar was. 

What the-

He winced and dug his nails into his palms, not showing any signs of pain to anyone. He didn’t want them asking questions. He felt stupidly self conscious and turned away, staring down at his plate. He must be overly tired. 

When he looked back after a minute, the black haired man was no longer looking at him, instead staring back down at his food with a grumpy expression, and the shakey Professor was mumbling to himself. Weirdo.

Harry sighed and turned to Percy. “Who is that man?”

“Oh, that’s Professor Snape. He’s the head of Slytherin House and the Potions teacher.” Ah, so he’s the one who’s been brewing his Wolfsbane Potion, he ought to thank him. But wait, was it him that sent him that letter? That was rude! “Everyone knows he’s after Quirrell’s job, though. He knows tons about the dark arts.”

Eventually their food disappeared from their plates and Dumbledore stood up.

“Ahem! Just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.” He smiled. “First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well.”

Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins, who both just giggled.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death.” 

Harry snorted, thinking he was having a laugh but noticed everyone else looked deathly pale. 

Oh. Was he serious? 

“He must be serious.” Percy broke the silence at the table. “He usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere. The forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects, at least.” 

“What kind of dangerous beasts could he possibly allow to get onto the school grounds?” Ron asked. “Don’t we have wards?”

“Wards can sometimes get broken. And you don’t want a troll coming in here, do you?” He asked sarcastically. “Or a werewolf, trying to rip your head off.” He said with distaste. “God, those things are scary.” 

Harry gulped. He had the internal instinct to scream out and defend himself, shout that he wasn’t a beast, that he’s not dangerous, that he wouldn’t rip someone’s head off. But who is he kidding? Of course he’d do that. 

If he gets wound up enough, something might happen. He can’t even scratch or bite someone in his human form, otherwise he’ll change them. He goes savage every month, nobody can go near him. Even with the potion, he’s still a threat. Imagine him without it. 

He even wanted to attack Malfoy on the train. He sighs and just nods in agreement. He can’t tell them.

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" Cried Dumbledore. Harry noticed that the other teacher’s smiles had become rather forced.

Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself into words. 

"Everyone pick their favourite tune and off we go!" Yelled Dumbledore, happily.

The entire school bellowed:

_"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,_

_Teach us something please,_

_Whether we be old and bald_

_Or young with scabby knees,_

_Our heads could do with filling_

_With some interesting stuff,_

_For now they're bare and full of air,_

_Dead flies and bits of fluff,_

_So teach us things worth knowing,_

_Bring back what we've forgot, just do your best, we'll do the rest,_

_And learn until our brains all rot."_

Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march, making Harry smirk.

Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest.

"Ah, music.” He said, wiping his damp eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

The Gryffindor first years followed Percy through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. Harry's legs were tired from all the walking, the exhaustion was really kicking in now. He just wanted to get into bed and sleep.

Suddenly, some walking sticks started getting thrown at them in the hallway. “Peeves.” Percy whispered to the first years. "A poltergeist.” He raised his voice. “Peeves, show yourself.”

A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered. 

"Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?" Percy yelled.

There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross-legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks. 

"Oooooooh!" The poltergeist said, with an evil cackle. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!"

He swooped suddenly at them. They all ducked.

"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" Percy yelled angrily.

Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head. He let out a loud yelp of pain. They heard Peeves zooming away, rattling coats of armour as he passed. 

"You’ll want to watch out for Peeves.” Percy warned, as they set off again. "The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are.”

At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.

"Password?" she asked.

"Caput Draconis.” Said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all quickly scrambled through it until they found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cosy, round room with couches and a fireplace. 

The girls were led to one dormitory whilst the boys were led to another. When they were inside, they all jumped on a bed and Harry finally laid back to relax. 

“Scabbers ate way too much, I think.” Ron said, petting his rat who looked bloated. “He’s passed out, cold.” 

Harry just cringed. He still hated the smell of the stupid thing. He’ll remind Ron to give it a bath. 

He eventually curled up in bed and went to sleep, having very strange dreams that he can’t quite remember the next day. Probably nothing important, anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3


	3. First Successful Potions Class

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There’s so many different kinds of teachers, an interesting Potions class and Hagrid being weird.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few things:
> 
> You’re probably thinking “how can Harry do magic so well???” Harry in this series is so much more powerful and intelligent because he found out he was magical earlier and studied up, and because of his desire to prove himself! he doesn’t want his lycanthropy to hold him back!
> 
> ALSO! You may be wondering “why is Harry getting along with him?!?!” 
> 
> Well I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. He’s making allies with someone who he’s not friends with in canon and there’s a good reason for it, you’ll find out why. But if you’re clever enough, you might be able to put the pieces together yourself...
> 
> It’s not really a spoiler.
> 
> Another thing. “why is harry not trying to figure out what’s going on with the package?!?!”
> 
> Our harry is a lot more self preserved, it’s why he’d do very well in slytherin. So he doesn’t want to go looking for trouble like in canon, he’s got enough problems as it is.
> 
> The animal part of him wants to keep himself safe as the Wolfsbane potion stops him from acting rebelliously, therefor that’ll affect his real personality too :)

There were one hundred and forty two staircases in Hogwarts and Harry quickly realised it was very easy to get lost in them. He was trying to find his way to class with Ron, glancing around at all the hallways in confusion. 

He was also irritated by the fact that everyone who walked by him gawked at him like he was an animal at the zoo. He tried to keep his head down as he walked and not make eye contact.

"Is that Harry Potter?" 

"Where?"

"The small kid next to the ginger boy."

"Look at his scar!" 

"What's that on his face?" 

"Did You-Know-Who do that to him?" 

"Looks painful."

He scoffed and Ron must have heard him, because he steered him away from everyone, in another direction, down another hall.

"Just ignore everyone, mate. They'll get over it, soon enough. You're like a celebrity to them, that's all." He tried to sound comforting.

"I hope so. It's annoying." Harry muttered.

Harry saw Mrs Norris, the caretaker's cat, strolling around and glared hatefully at it. 

The cat _smelled_ and so did her owner, Mr Filch. They both stank of dirt and grime, which Harry's nose picked up even at the end of the hallways.

Him and Ron had gotten on the wrong side of them their first day, accidentally trying to get through a door they weren't supposed to, thinking it was an entrance to class. All Mr Filch had to say was that it was out of bounds and they would have listened, but no. He goes and threatens to hang them up in the dungeons, whilst Mrs Norris hissed aggressively at him.

He really wants to kick them both.

Professor Quirrell had also been passing by at that point and decided to somehow rescue them. Despite acting all heroic and saving them, Harry's stomach was twisting. 

The teacher was smiling at them and staring at Harry intently, making him shift on the spot.

Ron had thanked him sincerely whereas Harry kept a wary eye on him as he walked off, purple turban still held in place. He began to get a minor headache. Something about this Professor just gave him the heebie-jeebies. Plus, he smelled like garlic, which made his nose burn.

Harry began to realise that there was a lot more to magic than just waving your wand and saying some words. He'd read about it in books, of course, but learning about it with first hand experience was something else entirely.

Every Wednesday night, they had to study the night skies through their telescopes at midnight and learn the names of different stars and the movements of the planets. Harry found it so interesting, although he knew there'd be an obvious problem with this class, come the end of the month. 

He wouldn't be able to go to his classes and study the moon when it came about as he had his _little issue._ They promised him before that they'd sort out something for him during this time and be prepared in case anything goes wrong, and for that, he's extremely relieved.

Three times a week they went out to the greenhouses behind the castle to study Herbology. Professor Sprout taught them how to take care of all the strange plants and fungi, and found out what they were used for. 

By far, the most boring class was History of Magic, which was actually taught by a ghost. Professor Binns had died in the school and not even realised, continuing on his job just like any other day. His voice droned on and on while everyone took notes. 

The Charms teacher, Professor Flitwick, was a small wizard who had to stand on a pile of books to see over his desk. At the start of their first class he took the roll call, and when he reached Harry's name he gave an excited squeak. 

Professor McGonagall was different from the rest. Harry was right in his first assumptions, to think she wasn't a teacher to cross. She was strict and clever and gave them a proper talk the moment they sat down in her first class. 

"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts." She said. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned." She said sternly.

She then changed her desk into a pig and back again. Harry was impressed and couldn't wait to get started on his own, but when he realised they weren't going to be changing the furniture into animals for a long time, he huffed just like everyone else. 

After taking a bunch of complicated notes, each student was given a match and they started trying to turn it into a needle. By the end of the lesson, only Hermione Granger and Harry had made any difference to their matches. He grinned smugly to himself. Professor McGonagall held both their needles up and showed the class how they had gone all silver and pointy, giving them a rare smile.

Hermione blushed and Harry grinned.

The class that Harry had been looking forward to the most was Defence Against the Dark Arts, but when he got inside the class, he immediately started gagging. The whole room stank just like Quirrell's garlicky turban. 

People said it was because he fought vampires and zombies and this was to keep them away. He just rolled his eyes at it all. 

The class was mental. Harry couldn't concentrate on anything that was going on. The Professor kept stuttering every few seconds and shaking, he smelled bad and he was seriously giving Harry a banging headache. He rubbed at his forehead where it hurt. This teacher is going to drive him mental, this year. 

He went on to talk about his turban and how an African prince gave it to him as thanks for saving his life against some beasts. Harry honestly didn't care.

* * *

It was Friday morning and him and Ron were having breakfast in the Great Hall.

"What do we have today?" Harry asked, eating mouthfuls of cereal. 

"Double Potions." Ron sighed. "With Slytherins. Snape's head of Slytherin House and everyone knows he favours them." He said miserably, stabbing his porridge with his spoon.

"Hmm." Harry said, taking another bite of cereal. He didn't know what to think of this Professor Snape, yet. He was conflicted. 

On the one hand, he's been generous enough these past several weeks to brew his Wolfsbane Potion for him and deliver it to his doorstep. He also looked a tad concerned when he saw his scars, as if worried for him somehow.

But on the other hand, he did leave him a rude note and insult his intelligence. Does he not like him that much? Does he hate him because he's a werewolf and a student of his now? Does he not think he'll be any good at Potions? 

Harry thinks he'll be good, he doesn't want to fail any classes. He studied up, he's prepared. He's not going to embarrass himself in front of this class or teacher at all, he's confident. 

Suddenly, owls starting flying in the Great Hall, dropping mail off at peoples tables. Harry didn't often receive letters because there's not many people he talks to but this time Hedwig came over and dropped a letter into his lap, nipped at his ear gently and stole some food.

It read, 

__

> _Dear Harry,_
> 
> _I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three?_
> 
> _I want to hear all about your first week. Send us an answer back with Hedwig_
> 
> _Hagrid_

Harry smiled and grabbed a quill, writing on the back of the paper.

__

> _Yes please, see you later_

He gave it to Hedwig who cooed at him before taking off.

Later on that day, they headed to their double Potions class. It was down in the dungeons and it was freezing cold, but Harry's used to it, so it didn't bother him so much. 

They were seated, everyone talking quietly to themselves, when suddenly the door banged open and in walked Professor Snape, black robes flowing behind him. Everyone went silent. He stood at the front of the class observing everyone, arms crossed. 

He looked at one side of the classroom towards Malfoy and the Slytherins who all looked smug, as if they knew they'd be favoured, and then looked towards the Gryffindor side of the classroom, where everyone looked nervous. 

He glanced around until his eyes finally landed on Harry. He stared at him for a moment, just like he did in the Great Hall before breaking eye contact and talking to the class.

"You are all here to learn the subtle science and exact art that is potion making." He said with a low voice. "However, as there is little foolish wand waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses..." He looked everyone over, making sure they were paying attention. "I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even put a stopper in death. If you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach." He rolled his eyes.

Ron was slouching in his chair, looking anxious and moody, like he wanted to leave. Harry, however, was sitting forward on his chair excitedly.

Professor Snape seemed to notice his enthusiasm as he turned on him. "Potter! What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, testing to see if he knew this. 

Harry's stomach did flips. He was excited to be able to show off how much he knew, considering everyone else around him looked completely clueless. The only other one who seemed to know was the bushy haired girl, who's hand shot straight up in the air. But she could wait.

"You would make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death, sir." Harry said confidently.

Professor Snape raised his eyebrows, clearly impressed.

"Well done. Now, tell me. Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?" 

Bushy girl's hand shot up again. Neither payed her any attention.

"The stomach of a goat, sir." Harry then grinned. "Plus, the stone will save you from most poisons." He added the last detail in, even though he didn't ask for it.

Snape just looked more impressed by his vast amount of knowledge.

"Alright then. Tell me, Potter. What is the difference between monkshood and Wolfsbane?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. 

Did he deliberately pick that one out, just for him? Most likely. 

Harry held back a snort.

The girl was standing up and pointing her hand up to the ceiling now. Again, neither bothered with her.

"Monkshood and Wolfsbane are the exact same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite, sir." He said with a raised eyebrow.

Snape stared at him for a moment, observing him, before nodding. 

"Correct. Looks like someone actually decided to open up a book before coming here." He said to the class. Then his attention turned sharp. "Well, why aren't any of you writing this down?" He snapped. Everyone suddenly tried remembering what they just heard and attempted to write it down.

After a while, they were allowed to set up some cauldrons with ingredients. He put them in pairs and they started working on some potion that cures boils. He swept around the room in his long black cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticising basically everyone except Malfoy, whom he seemed to like.

He also seemed to not criticise Harry, either. He stayed clear of him and didn't come near him unless it was to check over his potion, giving a hum of approval as he walked by. 

_’I knew I'd be good at this.'_ Harry thought happily to himself. This might be one of his favourite classes.

Just as he was beginning to finish up his potion with a smile on his face, he smelled something toxic. He frowned and looked over towards another table where acid green smoke and loud hissing started to fill the dungeon. 

Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus's cauldron into a big blob, their potion now seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people's shoes. Within seconds, the whole class was standing on top of their stools while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, screamed in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs. 

Harry winced in sympathy. That did look pretty nasty.

"Idiot boy!" Snape snarled at him, clearing the spilled potion away with one wave of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?"

Neville whimpered and nodded as boils started to pop up all over his nose.

"Take him up to the hospital wing." Snape spat at Seamus. They both left the classroom and Harry decided it was time to finish up his potion. Only a few more steps to go. 

He gave another couple of stirs, added some more quills, let it simmer for a minute and then took it off the heat to cool down. Then, finally, it was ready. He poured it out into the vials he had and smiled at Ron who just watched him, mouth agape. 

"How'd you do that? You're so much better at potions than me." He said with wide eyes.

"I told you why." Harry grinned.

"Right, your muggle term." Ron snickered.

Everyone else had given up on their potion. The explosion had distracted them long enough that it was now either ruined or they couldn't be bothered with it anymore. But Harry wanted to pull through, so he bottled it up and handed it over to the teacher who eyed it carefully. 

"Perfect." He said with a pleased expression. "One point to Gryffindor." 

Harry beamed and nodded, smirking at Malfoy who glared at him as he left the class. His was one of the potions that got ruined. Serves him right.

"I can't believe you got us a point!" Ron said disbelieving, as they walked out the class. "Snape's always taking potions off Fred and George and I expected he'd do the same for us because he hates Gryffindors." He said in shock. 

"Well, maybe they mess around in his class too much, that's why he takes points off." Harry shrugged. "He didn't seem to have any problem with me." 

"Exactly! I thought for sure he'd have a problem with you." Ron said confused. "Being a celebrity in his class, and all that." 

Harry sighed and shrugged again. "He obviously doesn't care, just like I don't. Now, I'm going down to see Hagrid, do you want to come?" He asked, changing the topic of conversation.

Ron nodded and they headed down the steep path on the grounds of the castle, in the direction of Hagrid's hut.

When they knocked on his door, they heard shuffling inside Hagrid yelling out. "Back Fang! Ger back now." 

Harry could tell it was a dog before the barking even began because he was hit in the face with the odour as soon as the door opened. He definitely knew what dog smelled like.

When the door opened up, Hagrid stood there with a smile, trying to keep a barking dog behind him indoors. "Harry!" He said cheerily. "An' you mus' be... Ron, right?" He asked, clearly noticing the red hair and knowing he was a Weasley. 

"Yup." Ron nodded.

"Righ', then. Come on in!"

When Harry and Ron entered, the dog named Fang immediately stopped barking and eyed Harry up and down. He came up to him and started sniffing him all over. Harry looked over to Hagrid nervously, afraid the dog would sniff out what he was and jump on him. "Um, Hagrid..." 

"It's alrigh' Harry, promise." He smiled comfortingly, as if knowing his worries. "He won’t hurt ye." He said seriously.

Harry nodded and after a moment, Fang started wagging his tail and licking Harry's hands happily. Harry grinned and gently reached out to give him a pat on the back. 

Something in the back of his head was telling him, _don't be scared, he knows what you are, he's knows you're one of his kind, and he trusts you to be in his home._

Harry felt a whole lot safer and sat down in a chair next to Ron, pretending to enjoy some large rock cakes that Hagrid laid out for them which were just some stone lumps with raisins in them.

Fang rested his head on Harry’s lap and drooled all over his robes but he didn’t care. He kept patting him, anyway.

Hagrid asked them how their classes were going and Ron could help but jump in and explain how their Potions class went. 

“Neville’s cauldron exploded everywhere! The whole floor nearly melted.” Ron said with wide eyes. “Luckily, nothing happened to our potion because Harry’s actually good at it.” He said with a grin.

“Ar’ ye really, Harry?” Hagrid said with a proud smile.

“Yeah, it’s not that difficult once you get the hang of it.” Harry shrugged. “It’s quite fun, actually.” He smiled.

“He got us house points! Got us points, Hagrid, can you believe it?” Ron said still shocked. “I still keep thinking we should have lost some.” He shook his head. “Snape seems to like you a little bit.” 

“Maybe because I don’t blow up cauldrons.” Harry raised an eyebrow. “Or because I learned what all the potions ingredients are and what they do.” 

“Yeah, yeah... I get it.” Ron sighed. 

Hagrid was eyeing Harry strangely, not unpleasantly, just as if he was trying to figure something out. When Harry caught his eye, however, he just shrugged and smiled at him. 

“Well, I’m glad yer enjoyin’ yer class. Bet he’ll get all the best marks.” He grinned.

Harry smiled back and nodded. “I hope so.” 

They soon all started talking about different kinds of things, like how Ron’s brother Charlie works with dragons and how Hagrid was fascinated with them. 

Harry spotted a newspaper clipping from the Daily Prophet on the table and picked it up. 

It read, 

**GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST**

Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown

Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day

"But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you," said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon

Harry’s eyebrows rose. 

“That was the same day we went to Gringotts, wasn’t it Hagrid?” 

Hagrid didn’t meet his eyes and instead offered him some tea, which Harry accepted.

Once it was time to leave and both boys had pockets weighing them down with rock cakes, Harry’s thoughts were racing.

Hagrid had emptied the same vault that the thieves were trying to break into. Hagrid had taken his package out and they’d left, but was that what the thieves were after? Good thing Hagrid got to it in time, whatever it was. It’s not nice having your things stolen.

Harry just shrugged it off, it’s not his problem. Hagrid is a grown man, he can take care of himself. Harry’s had plenty of his stuff nicked by Dudley before and just dealt with it. Hagrid should be grateful he’s still got what he has. 

He walked off with Ron, dumping the rock cakes into his bag for safe keeping. Maybe if Malfoy annoys him too much, he’ll use one of these and knock him right on the back of the head. The thought brings a smile to his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3


	4. Wizard's Duel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flying lessons, setting up Malfoy and a big giant dog.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can probably tell if you’ve been following my story long enough, I’ve changed my tags ###
> 
> It went from “General Audiences” to “Mature Audiences”. Yup, that’s a MAJOR DIFFERENCE! 
> 
> I’ve also added “Major Character Death” as a warning. Just a heads up!! Stuffs going to happen and there’s a reason “Graphic Depictions of Violence” is there too.
> 
> The “Morally Grey Harry Potter” tag has also been added. If you’re wondering where this is coming from, please read Part 1 of the Wolves series before reading this because tags have been added there too. 
> 
> You’ll start to see the gradual changes in him over time and you obviously know why! The lycanthropy is taking a toll on him and is going to affect him in ways nobody expected. 
> 
> Also due to the fact that he’s still a horcrux and grew up in an abusive household, that’s not going to help.
> 
> Remember, they’re dark affiliated creatures!! So that’s going to eventually rub off on his personality. 
> 
> If you’re wondering why Harry acts like such an asshole in this story, well there’s your answer lmao. And it’s only just the beginning. Don’t expect him to stay all soft and squishy like canon.

Harry lay back in bed, reading over some Charms book and grinning. There was an incantation called 'Wingardium Leviosa' that he thought sounded kind of funny but it had a pretty basic wand movement. Just a simple swish and flick. 

He didn't have anything else to do. Ron was hanging out in the common room with everyone else and Harry wanted to be alone. He had a banging headache and his eyes hurt. That's been happening a lot these past few days.

He's been going into a bit of sensory overload with all the noises around him. Everywhere he goes, there's people talking and laughing, there's loud footsteps in the hallways and in the classrooms. The portraits talk to each other and there's so much chatter going on in the Great Hall, it's hard to concentrate on just one person. 

Also, he's still trying to get used to all the different smells. He can sniff out Mrs Norris from a mile away because she's always roaming the halls. The stupid thing should be thrown in the lake. Ron's rat isn't helping. He gave it a bath in the sink and somehow it still stinks. He can smell Fang when he's running on the grounds and all the owls when they deliver mail. Plus, all the different foods that people eat in the Great Hall, too. 

So he definitely can't go downstairs and chat with people. He need some alone time. 

He's reading over the book and decides to sneakily practise the incantation to himself. Nobody will know, plus when he goes to class, everyone will be amazed that he's actually done it.

He pulls out his wand which is sitting in a holster on his left arm, a thing he bought in Diagon Alley when he was out with Hagrid, although he doesn't think he knows about it. He was too excited about owls and wands, that day.

He reads over the incantation and wand movement one last time before putting the feather he plucked out of Seamus' pillow in front of him and casts the spell. 

It doesn't work at first but he tries again. He sees it wobble ever so slightly and grins. He takes in a deep breath and casts the spell one last time. 

_'Just swish and flick.'_

Suddenly the feather shoots up into the air, just like he expected and he grins triumphantly. 

He grabs it in his hand and sets it back down, tucking away his wand and rolling over to go to sleep. He can't wait to show off in front of everyone.

* * *

He wasn't in such a good mood the next day, however. 

He thought they'd only have the only single class with the Slytherins, Potions, but that proved to be untrue, as they now had Flying lessons together. It wasn't Slytherins that bothered him, he had nothing against the house as a whole, he's made that very clear. He was almost placed there, after all. 

No, the problem was that the house contained Malfoy, whom he hated. He was pretty sure he was starting to hate this boy more than Dudley, and that's saying something. 

Dudley was a huge, immature baby. He had no concept of manners or cleanliness at all. But this boy was a rich looking, pompous fool who's ego was far too big. Harry's surprised they found one of those silly little wizard hats large enough to fit his giant, blonde head.

Plus, he made fun of his parents. Nobody does that and gets away with it. He should count his skinny, pale arse lucky that Harry didn't rip his limbs off one by one that day, and throw him off the back of the train. 

"This is typical." He spat. "Just when I think I can finally be in a good mood." He muttered to himself. 

Ron seemed to hear him and nodded. "I know. I don't want to make a fool of myself on the brooms in front of Malfoy, of all people." Ron turned dark red.

"Please, Ron. I bet all this talk about how great he is at quidditch is a bunch of rubbish." Harry scoffed. "He's probably no better than average, at best." He grinned.

Ron nodded at him in agreement. 

That Thursday morning at breakfast, Hermione bored everyone to death by telling them everything she learned about quidditch from the book Quidditch Through The Ages. 

Neville seemed to hang on to her every word. He had a habit of being clumsy and seemed a bit anxious. He hadn't ever been on a broom because his gran was far too strict. 

_'Even though your family tried dropping you out a window? Nice logic there.'_ Harry thought sarcastically.

Hermione seemed nervous herself, as being a muggleborn, she'd never ridden a broom either. But she seemed pretty determined to try and succeed anyway. 

Suddenly all the owls starting flying in. 

An owl dropped off a package to Malfoy who opened it with a grin. He always seemed to receive sweets from someone. He's guessing it must be a family member. Harry hopes it’s filled with poison.

A package then got dropped on Neville's lap. He opened it up with curious eyes. Inside was a glass ball filled with white smoke. 

"Hey, it's a Rememberall." He grinned. "Gran knows I'm quite forgetful so she got me this. It reminds you that you've forgotten something." He held it up and then the smoke turned red. "Oh, I think I've forgotten something already..." he mumbled. 

As he was trying to remember, Malfoy walked past the Gryffindor table with his bodyguards, Crabbe and Goyle, and snatched the item from Neville's hands.

"What do we have here?" He grinned.

Harry and Ron suddenly stood up.

"Give it back, Malfoy." Ron snapped at him.

"Or what, Weasley? Are you going to hex me with your hand-me-down wand?" He laughed. Ron turned bright red.

Harry scoffed at Malfoy. "He might not, but I'll certainly take that Rememberall right off you and bash you across the skull with it." Harry smirked at him. 

“You wouldn’t dare.” Malfoy said taking a slight step back.

“Try me.” Harry said, glaring at him hatefully. 

Malfoy just glared at him for a moment before gulping nervously. “You're such a freak, Potter!" He finally yelled, dropping the Rememberall back onto the table and storming off, his bodyguards following him. 

Everyone was silent for a few seconds before bursting into laughter. 

"That was brilliant, Harry. Thanks for that!" Neville grinned. 

"He's always doing that! Scaring Malfoy off, like the scaredy cat he really is." Ron smirked. "Don't you?"

Harry just shrugged and smiled back awkwardly. He took deep breaths and counted to ten inside his head. 

_'Calm down. Everything is fine.'_

He needed to get that temper under control. He can't keep going around making threats like that. He's going to get a bad reputation and then he'll start getting into trouble. Then his friends will get dragged into it.

Soon enough, they headed to their Flying class at three thirty. It was outside and luckily there was nice weather. 

The Slytherins were already there with Malfoy and grinned at them as they appeared. Harry just clenched his fists and ignored them. When their teacher, Madam Hooch finally appeared, she snapped at them. 

"Well, what are you all waiting for?" She raised an eyebrow. "Everyone stand by a broom!" 

Everyone stood next to one and waited for instructions. Harry looked down at the broom he was standing next to, it looked old and twigs were sticking out at weird angles. Hopefully he won't fall off it and die.

"Stick your right hand out over your broom and say 'up'!" Madam Hooch told the class.

Everyone tried. Some people's brooms didn't do anything and they got frustrated, like Neville's. Some people's rolled around on the floor uselessly, like Hermione's. Harry's, however, shot straight up into his hand, earning approved looks from some people and shocked looks from others. Malfoy's did the same and he looked smug. 

Ron kept yelling at his when it wouldn't move and suddenly the broom shot up and smacked him in the face. Harry couldn't help but laugh at him, childishly.

"Shove off, Harry." Ron giggled back, rubbing his sore nose. 

"You got a little something there, Ron." Harry said with a grin, pointing to his nose. "Looks like pain." 

"I hate you." Ron smirked.

"Such lies." Harry snorted.

Once everyone had their brooms in their hands, either by achieving it with magic or simply picking it up with frustration, Madam Hooch told them all to mount them, showing them how to do it properly.

Ron and Harry both held in laughter at Malfoy's shocked face, when Madam Hooch told him he'd been doing it wrong for years. 

"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard." She said. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle. Three, two-" 

She was cut off by Neville who was far too nervous and jumpy, accidentally pushing off the ground hard before the whistle had touched her lips. 

"Uh-oh..." Neville whimpered as he started to rise, looking panicked.

"Come back here, boy!" Madam Hooch yelled at him, as if he could control it. He rose higher and higher, shock and fear on his face, wobbling side to side, clutching the broom for dear life so he wouldn't fall. But a gust of wind caught him and he suddenly blew sideways, smacking into the castle wall.

Bang!

There was a loud thud and a nasty crack, then a blur as his body fell towards the ground. There was another loud bang and then Neville lay facedown on the grass in a heap, whimpering.

Madam Hooch was bending over Neville, her face as white as his. 

"Broken wrist." Harry heard her mutter. "Come on, let's get you to the hospital. It's all right, up you get." She said sympathetically to him.

She then turned to the rest of the class.

"None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing!" She said with narrowed eyes. "You better leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'quidditch.' Come on, dear." 

Neville's face was covered in tears and he was clutching his wrist, hobbling off with Madam Hooch, who had her arm around him, comfortingly.

There was silence for a moment before a loud burst of laughter. It was Malfoy.

"That was hilarious! Did you see his face? The big lump." He smirked cruelly. All his friends joined in with the laughter.

"Shut up, Malfoy." Snapped Parvati Patil. Clearly he wasn't the only one bothered by his behaviour.

"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" Pansy Parkinson, a Slytherin girl who stuck by Malfoy's side, spoke up. "Never thought you'd like fat little crybabies, Parvati." She grinned.

"Look!" Yelled Malfoy, jumping forward and snatching something off the ground. "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him."

The Remembrall glittered in the sun as he held it up. It must have fallen out Neville's pocket. 

"Give it here, Malfoy." Harry glared. Everyone stopped talking to watch. "Now."

Malfoy smiled nastily at him.

"No, I don't think I will. In fact, I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find. How about, up a tree? Or on the roof?" He raised an eyebrow and got on a broomstick, rising up into the air.

Everyone just gaped after him. 

Harry breathed out angrily. He felt like he was going to kill this boy, he hated him so much. But he was better than that. Instead, he was going to show him up. Embarrass him. 

Harry grabbed a broom and looked down at it sceptically.

_'I can do this, I'm not stupid.'_

He nodded to himself and got on it. A hand held him back, though. It was Hermione.

"No, you can't. Madam Hooch specifically said-" 

"Well, Madam Hooch isn't here, is she?" Harry snapped. "And if she were a good teacher, she would have sent someone else to take Neville to the hospital wing rather than leave her class unattended with brooms!" 

Hermione just gulped and nodded. 

"Potter, are you coming to get it or what?" Malfoy called from above.

Harry glared at him hatefully and took off, heading up into the sky towards Malfoy with confidence. 

He realised instantly that he was pretty good at flying as he was steady on the broom with no shakiness or anxiety and he was unafraid of the height. That's a good thing, then.

"If you don't give it here, Malfoy, I'm going to knock you right off your broom." Harry snarled at him. "Don't think I won't, you little brat." 

"Oh, really?" Malfoy raises an eyebrow, trying to look cocky and uninterested, but there was a hint of worry there, especially as he started getting closer. 

“I mean it, Malfoy. I’ll make you regret the day you were born.” Harry snarled.

“Your threats are empty, Potter!” Malfoy scoffed, but his voice shook slightly and he looked nervous. 

“Keep pushing my buttons and you’ll find out for yourself.” Harry suddenly leapt forward and tried to grab him but Malfoy ducked out the way quickly with a look of shock on his face. 

"What are you doing?" He asked with wide eyes.

"There's no Crabbe or Goyle up here to protect you now, Malfoy. Just us two." Harry grinned. He saw Malfoy's eyes go wide, as if he's now just realising it himself. "Now, I'll ask you one last time. Hand it over." He said in a low voice. 

He saw Malfoy gulp and look down at the Rememberall, contemplating just handing it over. But, then he got a cocky look on his face. 

"Fine, you want it so bad? Go get it." He grinned, and threw it as hard as he could across the grounds.

Harry watched in slow motion as the Rememberall went soaring through the air, then suddenly shook himself out of it. He raced as fast as he could towards the direction it was falling and caught it just as it was an inch from the ground. 

Everyone started cheering for him and he grinned, landing back down on the ground below. He looked over towards Malfoy who was also landing and he looked bright red, obviously humiliated at being shown up like that. 

_'My plan worked then.'_ Harry thought smugly to himself.

Suddenly, there was a scream.

"Harry Potter!"

His heart sank much quicker than he'd just dived. His ears also rang and he had to hold back a wince. Professor McGonagall was running toward him at full speed and she didn't look too happy. 

"Uh-oh..." He mumbled to Ron who just gave him a wide eyed look.

"Never, in all my time at Hogwarts..." Professor McGonagall was almost speechless with shock, and her eyes flashed furiously at him. "How could you? You might have broken your neck!" Shook her head, exasperated. She heard snickering and found it coming from Malfoy. She then turned on him. "And you! How dare you! Stealing another's belongings and trying to damage them?" 

Malfoy's eyes went wide at that. "I, uh-" 

"Quiet!" She snapped. "Both of you, with me, now." She barked at them and they sighed, following her. 

"It wasn't his fault, Professor!" 

"Be quiet, Miss Patil." 

"But Malfoy-" 

"That's enough, Mr. Weasley. Potter, Malfoy, follow me, now."

She clearly didn't want to hear anyone's excuses, he was going to get expelled, he knew it. It was just his luck. The Dursley's were going to laugh at him when he shows back up at their doorsteps after only two weeks at school, saying how he's a failure of a wizard. 

But he's not! He's a good wizard, or he will be. He just needs to work on his anger. He can't let himself lose control like that again. Although, he seriously doubts he'll be able to keep his promise.

Professor McGonagall walks them to the dungeons where she knocks on Professor Snape's door. He opens it with a frown.

"Yes?" He asks with a raised eyebrow, looking between them all.

"Severus, one of your students has been misbehaving. Thievery and attempting to damage property that belongs to another student." She glared at Malfoy. "I expect you, as his head of house, to acquire a suitable means of punishment." She said with raised eyebrows.

Professor Snape just narrowed his eyes at Malfoy who refused to look at him, grumpy expression on his face. "I shall take care of it, not to worry Minerva." 

" _It?_ " Malfoy exclaimed. "I'm not an it! I'm a boy." He scoffed.

"I meant..." Professor Snape drawled. "The situation, Mr Malfoy." 

Malfoy just mumbled to himself under his breath and didn't bother looking at him again. Professor Snape just glared at him.

It seemed as if Snape liked to have a flare for the dramatic, with his swooshy robes and long drawn out, spooky voice. 

Harry had to bite his lip from laughing. The whole situation was absurd.

"Well, then. That'll be all. Thank you, Severus." Professor McGonagall said with a nod of her head, pulling Harry along with her. He went willingly, feeling eyes on the back of his head as he walked off. He somehow knew they didn't belong to the ferret, but instead the teacher.

 _'Why is he always watching me? Does he know something about me? Worried about me? Should I ask? No way. He could be a vampire and drink my blood! But, why would a vampire want to drink a werewolf's blood? Oh god, I think I might have hit my head when landing that broom...'_ He shook himself of his ridiculous thoughts with a sigh. He's clearly tired. 

Harry expected to get dragged to the headmaster to be thrown out of the school, wouldn't Malfoy be next? But instead, he was dragged along to Professor Flitwick's office, of all places. And instead of Professor McGonagall sending him for detention or something else ridiculous like that, she asked for Oliver Wood. 

A minute later, a fifth year boy came out of the class looking confused. Both boys followed her into an empty classroom where Peeves was writing rude things on the chalkboard, giggling. 

"Out, Peeves!" McGonagall barked.

Peeves just threw the chalk in the bin and flew out the room, frowning. 

"Professor, what's-" Wood began, but was interrupted.

"I've found you a seeker!" Professor McGonagall said cheerfully.

Wood's eyes lit right up. "Really?" He smiled, looking at Harry.

"Potter, this is Oliver Wood." She introduced him. "He's captain of the Gryffindor quidditch team." 

"Uh, hi." He said, awkwardly. What was going on?

"Potter, here, is a natural. Have you ever been on a broom before?" She asked him. When he shook his head no, she continued. "See? He caught a snitch out of a fifty foot dive! Isn't that brilliant? He didn't even scratch himself." She looked proud.

Wood looked as if as his wildest dreams had just came true, his eyes were wide and he was smiling non stop.

"He's just the build for a Seeker, too." He said, now walking around Harry and staring at him. "Light, speedy. We'll have to get him a decent broom, Professor, a Nimbus Two Thousand or a Cleansweep Seven, I'd say." 

"I shall speak to Professor Dumbledore and see if we can't bend the first year rule." She smiled. "Now, I want to hear you're training hard, Potter, or I may change my mind about punishing you." 

It didn't seem as if he was given a choice here. It was either, play quidditch or face punishment. Well, flying a broom was kind of fun and easy, and he didn't want to get a reputation of being a bad student. Plus, this will just be yet another way of showing up Malfoy. 

He grinned and nodded.

She looked pleased at the answer. Then she suddenly smiled. 

"Your father would have been proud." She said. "He was an excellent Quidditch player himself."

Harry's eyes went wide at that. This was such interesting information, and he wishes his dad could have been around to see him play. He just gives a smile and turns to leave.

* * *

It was dinner time and Harry had just finished telling Ron what had happened when he'd left the grounds with Professor McGonagall and Malfoy. 

"Seeker?" He asked. "But first years are never allowed to play! You must be the youngest house player in about-"

"A century." Harry finished for him, shoving a piece of steak into his mouth. He felt particularly hungry after the excitement of the afternoon. "Wood told me."

Ron was so amazed by all this that he just sat there and gaped at Harry with wide eyes.

"I start quidditch training next week." He said. "Just don't tell anyone, Wood wants to keep it a secret." 

"I won't, promise." Ron grinned.

Fred and George came into the hall, spotted Harry, and hurried over. 

"Well done." George told him in a whisper. "Wood told us. We're on the team too. We're the beaters." He smiled.

"We're definitely going to win the Quidditch cup this year." Fred said with a giant grin. 

Suddenly they heard a voice from behind. 

"I see you're still here. When are you heading back on the train to your filthy muggles, Potter?" Malfoy asked him with a raised eyebrow.

Harry turned around with a sigh. 

"Malfoy, if I was on a train, I'd surely throw you off the back of it and watch you splat across the tracks.” This gained some laughter from the people around him which had him smirking. Malfoy just turned red with anger. "What about you, hmm? Did you get a telling off from Professor Snape? Did you cry?" Harry pouted.

"Bite me, Potter!" Malfoy snapped. 

_'Push me hard enough and I just might. You won't like it, either, trust me.’_ He shook himself of his morbid thoughts.

"I see you're a whole lot braver now that you're on the ground with your bodyguards to protect you." He said challengingly.

"Shove off, Potter. I can take you on anytime and anywhere, all by myself." He grinned, nastily. "How about tonight? Wizard's duel? Wands only, no contact." 

Harry had read up on those, of course. He sat up straighter and smiled confidently. If Malfoy thinks he can make a fool out of him, he's wrong. 

"Sure thing, who's your second?" He raised an eyebrow.

Malfoy's eyes went wide. "Wait, you actually know what that is?" He asked shocked.

"Of course I do." Harry said plainly. He was right, Malfoy was trying to make him seem inferior, as if he didn't know things. He was wrong. "Now, would you like me to repeat the question?" 

Malfoy scowled at him. "Crabbe is my second." He snapped. "Who's yours?" 

Ron suddenly spoke up. "Me, I am." Harry looked over and grinned at him.

Malfoy just snorted. "Alright, fine. We'll meet near the trophy room, tonight." 

"Midnight." Harry said. 

Malfoy just nodded and walked off. There was silence before Hermione spoke up.

"What's a Wizard's duel?" She asked confused. "And what did you mean when you said you'd be his second?"

Harry decided to speak up. "Well, a second is there to take over if you die in the battle." Seeing Hermione's shocked face, he continues. "Don't worry, people only die in proper duels, with real wizards. The most me and Malfoy will be able to do is send sparks at each other. Neither of us knows enough magic to do any real damage. I bet he expected me to refuse, anyway."

"He looked as though he expected you to not know anything at all!" Ron said with wide eyes.

"Exactly, the idiot." Harry shook his head, irritably.

"You can't go around wandering the halls at night, y'know. There are rules! If you get caught, you'll lose Gryffindor points." Hermione's voice spoke up sharply. "It's very selfish of you."

"And it's really none of your business." Ron glared at her. 

"And it's why we're not going." Harry grinned.

Ron just gaped at him. "What?" 

Harry snorted. "Come on, Ron. He's all excited, trying to think of spells to 'take me on.'" Harry said, sarcastically. He'll be practising all night and then show up to that trophy room, expecting to kick my butt, only to find nobody even there." He grins. "It'll humiliate him." 

"But won't that make him think we're too scared to show up?" Ron asked with raised eyebrows. 

"Not at all. We're Gryffindors. We don't get scared." Harry said confidently. "But we are clever and like a good prank, and trust me, that'll be hilarious, imagining his lonely face standing in the dark for who knows how long, not knowing nobody is going to show up." 

People started to picture it and giggled, getting on board with the idea. 

"Okay, it doesn't sound like a bad plan." Ron grinned. 

"Or maybe someone will show up..." Harry said mischievously. When people eyed him he smirked. "Maybe we let a certain caretaker know that some students are out of bed and ready to fight and then they'll get into a load of trouble." 

People started laughing along with him. They seemed to know where he was going with this.

"You want to rat him out to Filch?" Ron asked with a grin.

"Well, duh." He said and went back to eating his food. "Later." 

When they finished their dinner, Ron and Harry decided to take a quick trip to Filch's office, smirking the entire way. When they got there, Harry had to hold his breath as they knocked on the door. 

Mrs Norris ran out and _hissed_ at him as he opened the door up and he glared at them both. "What do you want?"

Okay, rude.

"Well, Mr Filch, it's just that we heard some students talking about having a duel in the hallways tonight." Seeing his eyes go wide, he continued. "It's at midnight and next to the trophy room, we also know that it's first years and they have no respect for the rules." He shook his head.

Filch started muttering angrily to himself. Ron and Harry looked to each other out of the corner of their eyes, trying to keep it together. "Yes, very well, then. Go on, I'll take care of it." 

Both boys nodded and took off quickly, heading for their common room. Ron may not have heard it, but Harry's ears distantly picked up Filch's voice speaking to Mrs Norris. 

"Filthy children, thinking they can ruin my hallways. Ought to be hung in the dungeons but their ears..." 

Harry just rolled his eyes. Psycho.

By the time midnight came, both boys were still in the common room, laughing their heads off.

"I'm just picturing them right now, standing there twirling their thumbs" Ron laughed.

"I bet Malfoy is pouting like a big baby!" Harry giggled. 

"That's because he is." They both snorted.

"I'd give anything to see their faces right now." Harry said with a sigh.

"We still could..." Ron raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked confused.

"We're not going to meet them, but we could peek around the corner and watch them get caught. Then we'll rub it in their faces tomorrow. It'll be hysterical." Ron grinned.

"We can't, Ron. It's past curfew and I really don't want to get caught and lose points." Harry said with a frown.

"Come on! We won't, we'll be super quiet. We won't even whisper." Ron said excitedly.

Harry just shifted in his seat and bit his lip. He really didn't want to leave the common room, it wasn't part of his plan. Plus he wanted to go to bed soon and he really didn't want to get caught. But Ron looked like he wasn't going to stop prying. He sighed defeatedly and nodded, standing up. 

They had almost reached the portrait hole when a lamp switched on. Hermione was sitting there in a pink robe, glaring at them both.

"Ron, I can't believe you." She shook her head at him. "Coming up with such stupid ideas." She snapped. "And dragging poor Harry into it." She was obviously listening in.

"Go to bed!" Ron snapped back at her.

"You're lucky I'm not going to tell your brother. He's a prefect!" She glared.

"Don't you dare." He growled.

Harry just sighed. 

"Then go back to your dormitory!" Hermione whisper shouted.

"No. Come on, Harry." Ron dragged him out by his arm, Hermione following behind them with rage in her eyes.

"Get back here now!" She cried out angrily.

Suddenly, the door behind them shut and they realised they were locked out. Uh-oh. 

_’Great, this is just what I need. To be locked outside my dormitory in the middle of the night with a couple of squabbling idiots when I need to be sleeping. If only they knew... maybe they'd be a little bit more sympathetic. Jeez, I'm so tired!’_ Harry thought miserably to himself, taking deep breaths. 

The full moon was in a week, and he wasn't prepared for it. He knew Professor Snape would brew his potion for him and give it to him but he's still filled with anxiety over it all. He doesn't want people to find him in his state and ask him questions, bothering him. He likes being alone. 

Plus, what will he tell people when he has to skip class? Oh God...

Even when the full moon wasn't out, nighttime's were still difficult for him as it gave his body the natural impression that it was going to happen. He could handle Astronomy night classes fine those days, or enjoy staying up late on the weekend, but he'd immediately pass out as soon as his head hit the pillow. Like tonight.

"Wonderful, now what do we do?" Ron sighed. 

"Well, this wouldn't have happened if you just listened to me in the first place!" Harry snapped out. He didn't mean to, but he just wasn't feeling too great. Can you blame him? 

Ron just eyed him for a minute before nodding. "Right, sorry mate. You're right." 

"Whatever, let's just go." Harry shrugged, trying to appear casual. 

"Really?" Ron grinned. They took off in the direction of the trophy room, Hermione following behind them.

She insisted on coming with them as she told them she had nowhere else to go, plus apparently they needed a babysitter. Harry dug his nails into his palms when he heard that. He was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. Who does she think she is? Besides, this isn't even his fault!

They made no noise when they were walking through the hallways, heading in the direction of the trophy room. Harry's ears were listening in for any little sign of noise, not picking anything up.

They finally reached a corner where the trophy room was and peeked their heads round. Sure enough, Malfoy and Crabbe were standing there in the hallway with their arms crossed, looking frustrated.

“I bet you anything, Potter decided to back out. Some Gryffindor he is.” Malfoy spat. 

“Yeah.” Crabbe mumbled.

“I could totally take him down with one flick of my wand.” He said cockily. “He’s just scared.” 

Harry rolled his eyes. Please, he’d gladly take this moron down with one kick to the face. 

Suddenly, he heard a voice coming from the opposite end of the corridor and smirked. 

“Sniff around, my sweet. I know they’re here somewhere.” Filch growled out to Mrs Norris. 

Malfoy and Crabbe froze in place, self preservation clearly not on their side. Crabbe jumped and dropped his wand, the loud clattering echoing throughout the hall. Filch turned around the corner and spotted them. 

“Well done, Crabbe.” Malfoy spat at him.

“Oops.” He mumbled pathetically.

“There you are! I knew someone was lurking about.” Filch grinned evilly.

“Wait, it’s not what you think!” Malfoy tried to explain but got cut off as Filch grabbed him by the ear and started dragging him away with Crabbe.

Harry just smirked to himself as he called for Professor Snape, who just so happened to be roaming the halls. Perfect timing.

“Professor, these brats were trying to make explosions in my hallway. What do you plan on doing about it?” Filch growled out.

“They were?” Snape raised an eyebrow.

“It wasn’t our fault!” Malfoy snapped. “It was all Potter’s! He promised he’d join our Wizard’s duel and didn’t bother showing up.” He scoffed.

“Well then, Mr Malfoy, I must say...” he drawled out as usual. “I expected better from you.” Malfoy just gaped at him. “It should have been clear from the beginning that he wouldn’t show up, the boy doesn’t seem to be a troublemaker, unlike _some._ ” He narrowed his gaze at Malfoy.

“But, he’s a Gryffindor! He’s acting cowardly. It’s pathetic.” 

“What’s pathetic is that you refuse to see past house colours and realise that he’s a lot more capable and clever than you think.”

“Excuse me?” Malfoy screeched. “Potter is a moron. And he’s creepy, he keeps threatening me in the worst ways. He gives me the heebie-jeebies.” Malfoy shuddered. “There’s just something wrong with him.” 

Harry clenched his fists tightly. He’s must stay calm, it’s essential, right now.

“I expect you to treat your classmates with a bit more respect than that, Mr Malfoy. Don’t go making snap judgements of things you _do not_ understand.” He glared hard. 

Wow, he was really mad. Good. 

“But, he left us here in the middle of the night after he promised to meet us. Who does that? He clearly doesn’t keep his word!” Malfoy said angrily. 

“He clearly knew you’d be waiting here and found the perfect opportunity to stand you up in humiliation, Mr Malfoy. He’d make a very good Slytherin, quite cunning.” Snape said with a small grin. “Just like you’d make a good Gryffindor.” When Malfoy’s eyes went wide, Snape glared. “Reckless!” Malfoy blushed bright red.

Harry couldn’t believe any of this. His eyebrows were risen so high. Snape was defending him. He couldn’t believe it. Apparently, Malfoy had the same thought.

“Why are you sticking up for him? He’s a stupid prat!” He said childishly.

“Silence!” Snape snapped at him. “Do you want another detention, scrubbing cauldrons again?” Seeing Malfoy shake his head no, he sighed.

“I say we take him to the dungeons and leave him there to rot.” Filch spoke up with a grin. Mrs Norris meowed, happily. 

Harry made sure to keep back, so she wouldn’t sniff him out.

“As... amusing as that would be... for you.” Snape narrowed his eyes at Filch. “I don’t condone such behaviour.” Filch just sulked. “With me.” He turned around, walking away in the direction of the dungeons where the Slytherin common room was, Malfoy and Crabbe following behind him, both hanging their heads low. 

Harry, Ron and Hermione took that as their cue to leave, grins on all their faces. 

“That was bloody brilliant!” Ron whispered excitedly. “Malfoy’s face!”

“I know. I’d thank Professor Snape, but then he’d know I was there.” Harry shrugged. 

Hermione eyed him. “Why did he stick up for you?” 

“Yeah, the guy’s evil and hates Gryffindors.” Ron scoffed. 

“I wouldn’t say evil.” Hermione rolled her eyes. “But he definitely favours Slytherins. Yet, somehow, he’s always quite defensive of you.” She frowned. “And he treats you well in class.”

“What can I say, I’m just that charismatic.” Harry grinned cheekily. She rolled her eyes and decided to forget it. 

Harry honestly didn’t know, though. Was it because he knew he was a werewolf and thought he’d rip his face off if he annoyed him? He wouldn’t. At least, he’d try not to. He’s trying hard enough with the ferret.

They were chatting quietly, walking back towards the common room when Harry heard another noise. 

“Shh!” He stopped them in their tracks.

“What?” Ron asked confused.

“Someone’s coming.” He steered them in another direction, behind a corner.

“I don’t hear anything.” Hermione raised an eyebrow.

“I have really good hearing.” Harry said casually. She nodded.

When the noise got closer, then they both heard it.

“Too many people out of bed tonight, my sweet.” Filch’s voice yet again drawled on to his stupid, smelly cat.

Ron’s eyes went wide. “Great, now what do we do?”

“We have to get back to Gryffindor tower.” Harry said, like it was the most simple thing in the world, rolling his eyes.

They were about to try and sneak around some corners when suddenly-

“Ah, what are you doing here?” Peeves grinned at them, from where he was floating above.

“Peeves, please go away. We’re trying to do something.” Hermione told him desperately, hoping he’d listen. 

“Ooh, hiding from Filchy, are we?” He grinned. “You ickle firsties should be in bed.” 

“Peeves, you’re going to get us caught!” Harry growled. “Now, get lost!” 

Peeves just pouted and smirked, before screaming. 

“Students out of bed! Students out of bed, down by the Charms corridor!” 

They all ducked under Peeves and ran for their lives, right to the end of the corridor where they slammed into a door. They tried their best to open it but it was locked. 

"This is it!" Ron yelled loudly as they banged on the door. "We're done for! This is the end!"

They could hear Filch’s footsteps running as fast as he could toward Peeves's shouts.

Harry growled and shoved Ron and Hermione out the way. He wasn’t in the mood for games. He grabbed his wand from his arm holster and pointed it at the lock on the door, whispering “alohomora!"

They both gaped at him for a moment before the lock suddenly clicked and the door swung open. They all ran through it, shut it quickly, and pressed their ears against it, listening. 

They could hear Filch on the other side of the door yelling at Peeves, asking where they were. Peeves, however, kept winding him up and the conversation went down the corridor, away from their direction. They all let out a sigh of relief and leaned their heads against the door in defeat.

Suddenly, Harry’s nose picked up something. It was distinctly the smell of... dog? 

He started giving small sniffs and when he turned around, his mouth dropped open. 

“Oh, my god.” He whispered.

This must be the forbidden corridor on the third floor. Now Harry realises why it’s forbidden. Ron and Hermione turned around when they heard Harry and had the exact same reaction.

There was a massive three headed dog sitting in the middle of the room, staring at them.

Each head was eyeing Ron and Hermione up with narrowed eyes and snarling at them whilst one of them was eyeing Harry up curiously. It wasn’t showing any signs of aggression, at all. 

It was sniffing and staring into his eyes, as if trying to decipher what he was and if it liked him. Well, every other dog he’s came across has, why not this one. 

After about a minute, all three heads had eyed him over and stopped their growling, settling back down, calmly.

 _They trust you, just like all canines will. You’re perfectly safe._ A distant voice in the back of his head instinctively told him. That made him feel safer.

He looked around and spotted that it was lying on a trapdoor, obviously guarding something. He raised an eyebrow and shrugged. This school is filled with a bunch of weird things.

The three of them left and ran as quickly as they could back to the common room, yelling the password and jumping inside.

“That was insane!” Ron exclaimed, still shaking.

“Yeah. I’m never doing that again.” Harry said with a long sigh. 

Hermione had a frown on her face. “Why did that animal calm down when it saw you, Harry? It looked like it wanted to kill Ron and me.”

Harry went stiff at that. _‘Quick, think of an excuse!’_

“Um, I’m just really good with animals, that’s all.” He smiled and shrugged.

“Oh, okay.” She nodded. “Isn’t it weird, though?”

“What is?” 

“Didn’t you see what the animal was sitting on?” She asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I don’t bloody know! I wasn’t looking at its feet, was I?” Ron exclaimed. 

Harry rolled his eyes. “It was sitting on a trap door, Ron.” 

“Exactly! Which means it’s guarding something.” Hermione said raising her eyebrows. “What could it possibly be?”

“I don’t know and I don’t care.” Harry said, bored. He was too tired for this. “It’s none of our concern.”

She just gave a small nod and yawned. “Well then, I’m going to bed, before either one of you finds another way to get us killed. Or worse, expelled.” She narrowed her eyes and stormed off.

“She really needs to sort out her priorities.” Ron scoffed. “A trap door, though?” 

Harry shrugged. “Yeah, so?” 

“Well, it’s just a little weird, don’t you think?” 

Harry rubbed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. “What is?”

“Well, when we were in Hagrid’s, didn’t you say Gringotts got broken into?” 

“Yeah...”

“And it was recent, on your birthday?”

“So?” Harry asked, uninterested.

“And that animal is guarding something, right?”

“Yes, Ron.”

“Well, what if whatever was stolen from Gringotts recently is what’s being guarded by that beast.” He raised his eyebrows.

Harry sat down and dropped his head into his hands. “Okay, first of all, I’m going to have to ask you not to use that word.” He glared.

“What, beast?” 

Harry winced. “Yeah, that.” When Ron asked why, he explained. “I just think it’s a little insensitive, that’s all.” It wasn’t necessarily a bluff, either. But technically, he was calling him a beast. “Just say magical creature.”

Ron’s eyes went wide and he nodded slowly, sitting down next to him. “Alright then. Do you think this magical creature is guarding what’s been stolen recently?” 

Harry just snorted. “Honestly, Ron? I don’t know. If it’s not, then I don’t care what’s down there. This school is filled with weird stuff.” He sighed. “And if it is, well it’s not our issue. We’re school kids, why should we interfere? Let the adults take care of it.” 

Ron just eyed him warily for a moment, as if expecting him to say more, before nodding. “Okay. Let’s just go to bed.”

“Finally...” Harry mumbled. And sure enough, he passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3


	5. Furry Little Problem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first quidditch practice, a painful full moon and comforting advice from some teachers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We finally see some bonding between certain characters that I was excited to write!

Harry and Ron grinned mischievously over at Malfoy who sat miserably at the Slytherin table the next day at breakfast, both looking tired. From what Harry could overhear, he'd apparently had a serious telling off from Professor Snape and was scrubbing cauldrons for a week. 

His plan went better than expected. Serves the git right.

The only thing ruining his mood was Ron going on about that stupid trapdoor and the item that was stolen from Gringotts, still convinced that's what the giant dog was guarding. 

Harry kept telling him how little he cared and how whether it was true or not, it was none of their concern. But, Ron seemed to like the thrill from last night, being the stereotypical reckless Gryffindor he is, and wanted to go snoop around, finding out what it is. 

"It's either really valuable or really dangerous. Wouldn't you agree?" He asked both him and Hermione, who had also rolled her eyes and started ignoring him. 

She continued ignoring them both, wanting to stay out of trouble, not risking getting expelled. Harry's almost willing to join her, at this point. He's a little scared of Ron's antics, sometimes.

* * *

A few days later, much to his surprise, Professor Snape actually pulled him aside after a successful Potions class. Despite the fact that Harry was sweating profusely because the full moon was about to come that weekend, although he blamed it on the heat from the cauldron to Ron who just nodded, he still showed up to classes with his head held high.

He stayed behind and gave Ron a nod when he just looked panicked, as if he was going to get murdered. Ron walked out the class slowly. When everyone was gone, Professor Snape finally spoke to him alone for the first time ever.

"Mr Potter, tell me." He slowly. "How are you feeling?" 

"Feeling, sir?" Harry asked, confused. Snape just raised an eyebrow at him. Oh, that. "Right. I'm... y'know." He gulped and shrugged, refusing to look at him. It was still an awkward thing to talk about.

Snape just sighed and nodded, as if understanding his discomfort and not wanting to push him. "Here." He suddenly stood up and went to his desk where he reached into his drawer, pulling out three vials filled with the Wolfsbane Potion, specifically made for Harry. He handed it over and told him to put it in his bag, keeping it out of sight. 

"Where can I store it? Just in case anyone else finds it?" Harry asks nervously.

"Do you have a trunk or bedside table?" 

"Well, yes. But I don't have any wards or even locks." When Snape raised an eyebrow, he sighed. "Gryffindors tend to get overly trusting sometimes. And they're full of pranks. They like to go through people's things and won't get mad at each other for it. Me, on the other hand.." Harry scoffed.

"Hmm. I can understand why." Snape nodded.

"They wouldn't expect anyone to put locks on their things. They'd ask questions or maybe even try to pick the lock." He shook his head, annoyed. 

"I guarantee you wouldn't have this problem in the dungeons." Snape muttered to himself, but obviously, Harry heard.

"Well, I was supposed to be there." Harry grinned. "Hat said so."

Snape raised an eyebrow and nodded. "This does not surprise me, at all." 

_'Well, obviously not, considering what you told Malfoy. I am pretty cunning, after all.'_ Harry thought smugly to himself.

"Hmm." 

"Have you told anyone, at all?" Snape asked curiously. "About your-"

"Furry little problem?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow, repeating back what he'd written to him in his letter.

Snape raised his eyebrows at him for a moment before slowly nodding. He'd been caught out. Ha! "Yes."

"No." Harry sighed. "I don't plan to. You should have heard what people were saying about magical creatures when Professor Dumbledore announced we couldn't go out into the forest." Harry glared.

"Oh?"

"They were talking about beasts and monsters." Harry clenched his fists. "And I just had to sit there and nod along, couldn't even defend myself."

"I understand. But the situation could have had extremely dire consequences if you blurted out the truth in a moment of anger." He said calmly. "I am proud of your ability to maintain self control the way you did." He said almost proud. "Not many can do it. Especially your kind. Well done."

Harry nodded. He does feel proud, it was bloody difficult, indeed. "Thank you."

"Hmm." Snape eyed him for a moment before sighing. "There is an spell called 'Notice-Me-Not'. The name speaks for itself. It doesn't turn things invisible but it stops people from immediately noticing things at first sight, diverts their attention elsewhere." 

"Okay... why are you telling me this?" Harry asked with raised eyebrows.

"Put your potions in a safe place, perhaps in your trunk or beside table, and cast the 'Notice-Me-Not' charm. It'll do wonders." He told him the incantation and spent the next several minutes with him, practising on a vial until Harry started to have to blink in order to focus. 

It was working!

Snape smirked. "I knew you could do it, you're very talented indeed, it would seem." 

Harry just beamed happily. He loved compliments. "Thank you." 

Snape took that as his cue to roll his eyes. "Now, back to our original topic at hand. The full moon is in a few days and I want you to be prepared for it. Start taking your potions tonight, _don't_ forget!" He snapped.

Harry nodded. "I won't, promise." 

"Good." Snape seemed pleased. "You'll be excused from any classes you have for the next couple of days afterwards until you feel better, it is completely alright with the teachers. They'll make sure to keep some notes for you to catch up on, as will I." Harry nodded gratefully at that. "Do not stay up late, eat properly, no overworking yourself and remember to stay calm." He said seriously. 

Harry just rubbed his tired eyes and cracked his knuckles which were now beginning to hurt. He also clutched at his stomach which he felt begin to cramp. "Ow..." he whimpered.

Snape's eyes went wider and he nodded, instantly knowing what was going on. He led him to the door with a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Go to the Great Hall and eat dinner now. But, if it's too overwhelming, you have permission to go down to the kitchens and ask the house elves to get you what you need." He said calmly. "The kitchens are in the dungeons and there's a portrait outside. Just tickle the pear." 

"Alright, then." Harry nodded, having to hold back a laugh at that last part. "Is that all?"

"Yes." He nodded, but got a thoughtful expression on his face. "However, just know..." he drawled out, as usual. "My door is always open if you need to talk about-" He gestured towards Harry, himself, obviously not wanting to say the word, knowing that it makes him uncomfortable. Harry appreciates that.

Harry smiles and nods, deciding to leave.

His stomach wasn't hurting too bad, not to the point where he felt like he was going to lose control of himself and have to dig in to a raw steak. That would definitely happen in a few days. 

But for now, he'll just go to the Great Hall and have a big dinner. Then later he'll chug back his potion and go straight to bed. 

He catches up with Ron, who he finds is waiting for him in the distant hallways, tapping his foot rapidly.

"Hey, you've been here all this time?" He asks with raised eyebrows.

"Well, I had to save you if I heard any screaming." Ron said with a grin. Harry just rolled his eyes.

They walked quickly to the Great Hall, both of them immediately digging in to their food. Ron was being his usual slobby self, eating his chicken wings with a happy smile on his face, and just like usual, getting yelled at by Percy to slow down. 

Harry, however, found some of his favourite slices of steak, taking giant pieces and digging right in. He tried to have a bit more etiquette than Ron, but still got a slight scowl from Percy when he shoved massive bite fulls in every now and again. 

_'Shove off, I'm allowed to do this. I'm being polite, here. You haven't seen me at my worst.'_ He thought grimly to himself.

Harry ate until the stomach cramps finally calmed down, then he rested back in his seat, whilst he could. This is where it now begins, the weekend of torture. This'll be fun. Not!

Suddenly, an owl flew in the Great Hall and dropped a large parcel into his lap, along with a letter. People were glancing over to see what was going on.

Harry just ignored them and opened the letter, eyes going wide.

> _DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE_
> 
> _It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand, but I don't want everybody knowing you've got a broomstick or they'll all want one. Oliver Wood will meet you tonight on the Quidditch field at seven o'clock for your first training session_
> 
> _**Professor McGonagall** _

That was in a couple of hours. Why was she informing him of this now? Why was she dropping mail off for him when everyone was watching him? Why was his first training session on one of the very days he's just not feeling good? 

' _Nice logic, there.'_ Harry thought bitterly. _'And just my luck.'_

Ron was reading the letter over his shoulder and moaned enviously "I can't believe you got one of those! I've never even touched one." 

Harry just sighed and decided to get up, heading back to his dormitory, carrying the package, Ron following behind him.

Suddenly, Malfoy and his bodyguards decided to catch up with them and thought it'd be a good idea to snatch the package right out of Harry's hands. Big mistake.

"Well, what do we have here?" He gave it a look. "It seems as if Potter here has a broomstick." He grinned. "Too bad, Potter. First years aren't allowed them. Go throw it in the bin." He tossed it back at him and Harry caught it with a glare.

"Malfoy, the only thing getting tossed in the bin will be you. You're nothing but gutter trash." Harry snarled. Crabbe and Goyle cracked their knuckles while Malfoy turned red with anger. 

"I'm sorry?!" He screeched.

"Apology not accepted." Harry snapped.

"You're just jealous, Malfoy." Ron scoffed. "Harry's not just got any old broomstick, it's a Nimbus Two Thousand. What did you say you've got at home, Malfoy?" He raised his eyebrow sarcastically. "A Comet Two Sixty?" 

"Oh really?" Harry grinned.

Ron smirked back. "Yup. Comets look flashy, but they're not in the same league as the Nimbus." They continued, knowing it was winding Malfoy up. They could practically see the steam coming from out his ears.

Malfoy decided to insult Ron's lack of wealth, but instead of getting embarrassed about it, he decided to rise above it bravely and continue making jokes with Harry, which was far better.

They eventually left and headed back to their dormitory where Harry unwrapped the broom package on his bed. Ron seemed in awe of it, admiring the handle and the gold lettering. Harry didn't know much about brooms apart from what he'd read, he wasn't a super fan like Ron, but he laughed at his enthusiasm.

After a while, he told Ron he'd like to be left alone so he could mentally prepare himself for the training he'd go through tonight. Ron just grinned and nodded at him, running out the room and leaving him in peace and quiet.

Finally, some alone time.

Harry was so tired but he knew he had to do this. He couldn't believe Professor McGonagall thought this would be a good idea. 

_'I thought she was supposed to be smart? Maybe she just forgot.'_

But it's too late to back out now. The only teacher who'd actually seemed to take any interest so far in helping him was Professor Snape, yet everyone seemed to hate him. 

He's a little spooky and Harry's completely convinced he's not actually a vampire, despite what people say, but Harry definitely doesn't feel hate towards the man and he's sure the feeling is mutual.

Perhaps, one of the other teachers will come and talk to him soon, too. They're here to help him, aren't they?

Will the headmaster want to talk to him? Will he give him some comforting advice? Will he tell him how to get through this a whole lot easier? Harry would really appreciate any kind of help, right now. And could honestly do with talking to someone, right now.

Professor Snape offered, though. Maybe that's something to think about. But he just doesn't want to be a bother...

He can't talk to his friends about it, they don't even know! They won't ever know, it's too risky. He'll lose the only friends he's ever had. They'll think he's one of the awful things they were talking about in the Great Hall that first day of school. 

_Beast. Monster. Animal. Creature. Thing. Dangerous. Freak. Abnormal. Horrible. Ugly. Disgusting._

Harry starts to tear up and sits back on his bed, pulling his legs up to his chest and buries his head in them, letting out frustrated tears. Oh god, not again. This happens every month, he should be used to it, but he never is. 

All his emotions start hitting him at once and he's reminded of what a dangerous thing he is, how he shouldn't be allowed around people. He could easily just snap and either kill someone or turn them. Why is he even in this school? He should leave. 

It takes all his self control not to just jump on Malfoy and tear him to shreds, most of the time. His palms have permanent scars on them from constantly digging his nails into them.

He looks down at his hands and checks them. He has gnarly looking nail marks dented right in to his skin. 

He rolls up his sleeves and checks over his arms. They're covered in horrid looking slashes from where he's dug his nails and claws into his skin, ripping it open, leaving permanent tiger stripes. He rolls up his trousers and checks over his legs. They look exactly the same. He sighs and makes sure the door is still closed. He unbuttons his shirt and looks down at his chest. 

Oh god. He never properly looks at it when he's getting dressed or in the shower, he keeps his eyes averted because he's scared of what he'll see. But, it's horrible.

He has slashes going all the way across his upper body, from his left shoulder and collar bone, reaching over his chest, down his tummy and stopping where his right hipbone is. 

Then, right where his right rib cage is, on the bones, a nasty bite mark, fang marks clearly visible, where the werewolf tried to rip his guts out but instead changed him. 

He's lucky he can cover all this up with clothes but his face is the problem. He pulls out a mirror and sighs, looking at himself. People already knew he'd have the Voldermort scar, hearing the stories growing up. 

It's easy enough to hide it with his hair. But it's impossible to hide the claw marks that make their way down from his left eyebrow, over his eyelid and halfway down his cheek. Unless he grows his hair super long, of course. Maybe he'll do that in the future when he's a little bit older and more trendier. 

After a couple of hours of sitting alone in his dorm room, trying to pull himself out of his self loathing thoughts by attempting to do homework, he realises the time and decides to head out to meet Wood for his first training session. 

But, before he goes, he chugs back his potion with a grimace. Just to be on the safe side, that's all.

When he’s outdoors, he heads for the quidditch pitch and grins when he looks up at it. There are hundreds of seats surrounding the field and massive poles with hoops.

He turned around when he heard a voice. 

“Hey, Potter!” Wood yelled. He was carrying a large wooden box under his arm. “Professor McGonagall better be right when she said you were a natural.” He eyed him. “I’ll be teaching you the proper rules this evening and then you’ll be joining us for practise three times a week.”

Harry nodded. “Okay.”

He opens the box and inside were four different sized balls. 

"Now, quidditch is easy enough to understand, even if it's not too easy to play. There are seven players on each side. Three of them are called chasers.” Wood explained.

"Three chasers.” Harry repeated to himself as Wood took out a bright red ball about the size of a football. 

"This ball's called the quaffle. The chasers throw the quaffle to each other and try and get it through one of the hoops to score a goal. Ten points every time the quaffle goes through one of the hoops. Do you understand?” He raised an eyebrow.

Harry rolled his eyes. It wasn’t that difficult. “Well, it’s sort of like basketball on broomsticks, isn't it?" Harry grinned.

“What’s basketball?” 

Harry sighed. “Never mind.”

“Okay.” Wood shrugged. “Now, there's another player on each side who's called the keeper. I'm keeper for Gryffindor. I have to fly around our hoops and stop the other team from scoring.”

"Okay, I’m getting it. So what are they for?" He pointed at the three balls left inside the box. 

"I'll show you now.” Wood said. “Take this.”

He handed Harry a small club, a bit like a short baseball bat.

"I'm going to show you what the bludgers do.” Wood told him. "These two are the bludgers.”

He showed Harry two identical balls, both black and slightly smaller than the red quaffle. Harry noticed that they seemed to be straining to escape the straps holding them inside the box. 

"You better stand back.” Wood warned Harry. He bent down and freed one of the bludgers. 

Suddenly, the black ball rose high in the air and then zoomed straight towards Harry's face. Self preservation kicked right in and Harry swung at it with the bat to stop it from breaking his nose, or causing even more scarring to his already ruined face. It sent the bludger flying away into the air, zooming around their heads. It then shot towards Wood, who dived on top of it and managed to pin it to the ground. 

"See?" Wood panted, forcing the struggling bludger back into the box and finally strapping it down safely. "The bludgers fly around, trying to knock players off their brooms. That's why you have two beaters on each team. The Weasley twins are ours and it’s their job to protect their side from the bludgers and try to knock them toward the other team. So, think you've got all that?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yup.” 

"Good." Wood said cheerfully. Wood then reached into the box and took out the fourth and last ball. Compared with the quaffle and the bludgers, it was tiny and about the size of a large walnut. It was bright gold and had little fluttering silver wings. “This is the golden snitch and it's the most important ball of the lot. It's very hard to catch because it's so fast and difficult to see. It's the seeker's job to catch it.”

“That’s me, right?”

“Yes. You've got to weave in and out of the chasers, beaters, bludgers, and quaffle to get it before the other team's seeker, because whichever seeker catches the snitch wins his team an extra hundred and fifty points, so they nearly always win. That's why seekers get fouled so much. A game of quidditch only ends when the snitch is caught, so it can go on for ages I think the record is three months, they had to keep bringing on substitutes so the players could get some sleep.” He shook his head.

“Jeez.” Harry said, frowning. He didn’t particularly want to take part in a game that could last three months.

"Yeah. Well, that's it, any questions?" Wood asked.

Harry shook his head. He understood everything he had to do, just fine. It was just doing it, that was the problem. Any other night and he would be jumping with excitement but tonight he’s so exhausted. He puts on a brave face, though. Now isn’t the time to make a fool of himself before he’s even begun.

“No, I’m good.”

"Alright. We won't practice with the snitch yet.” Said Wood, carefully shutting it back inside the box. “It's too dark and we might lose it. Let's try you out with a few of these.”

He decided to pull out some golf balls and throw them in the air for Harry to chase after and catch. He didn’t miss a single one and Wood was beyond ecstatic. After half an hour, when they were both tired from the exercise, they decided to head back indoors.

"That Quidditch Cup will have our name on it this year!” Wood said happily as they trudged back up to the castle. 

Harry just grinned at him and rubbed his tired eyes. 

* * *

The weekend came quicker than he expected. He’d been taking his potions and when the full moon night was about to come, he woke up that morning, his whole body _hurting._

The day before, Professor McGonagall had pulled him aside and took him to the headmaster’s office to discuss the situation. They both told him basically the same thing Professor Snape did. That he was excused from classes if he needed to be, and he had to take his medicine. Also, Madam Pomfrey was always there to help if anything goes wrong and he needs severe medical help, like cleaning up the wounds afterwards.

He told them he was anxious about what to tell Ron, as he’d ask questions. But Professor McGonagall said she’d pull him aside on the very day it would happen and explain that he needs to be left alone because he has a bit of a tummy ache, and to pass the message along to the boys who share the dorm, also to not bother him at night time because he needs rest.

He didn’t know if any of them would listen but he really hoped they would. He didn’t want to lash out.

Professor Snape had been eyeing him anxiously the previous night in the Great Hall when Harry wouldn’t stop shifting around at dinner. He kept squirming and grabbing at his tummy, hearing it _growl._

Everyone around him seemed to hear it too, because they all looked at him with shocked eyes. 

“Here, eat something mate. You sound hungry.” Ron said, pushing some chicken towards him. It smelled mildly appetising but not enough.

“I’m not hungry.” Harry grit out. When people looked at him, he sighed. “Actually, I have a stomach ache and feel sick. I’m gonna go lie down.” He said, giving a small shrug.

People seemed to believe him because they said they hoped he’d get better. Well, at least his lie that Professor McGonagall will come up with will seem much more believable.

He felt eyes on the back of his head as he left the Great Hall and just as he was about to exit the room, he took a last glance around and saw it was Snape’s frown. 

_‘He must know where I’m going and is worried... oh god, please don’t come after me. That’s the last thing I want.’_

He headed in the direction of the kitchens and when he finally reached, he saw the portrait Snape had told him about. He noticed there was a pear and decided to ridiculously tickle it. Suddenly, the door swung open.

Harry stepped inside and all around him were little house elves, cooking away and chatting happily. 

One of them came up to him, eyed him warily before bowing. 

“What can I be getting you today, sirs?” It’s little voice squeaked.

Harry’s stomach gave a sudden rumble again and he clutched it tightly, whimpering. The little elf’s eyes went wide and he glanced him over for a second before running away, coming back a second later with a bloodied, raw steak.

“Here you goes, sirs.” It’s voice squeaked again. “We knews there was a magical creature at Hogwarts, but we had no ideas we woulds be meeting the magical creatures.” It spoke in slightly broken English, bouncing up and down, pushing the plate towards him. Harry took it with a grateful nod. “So nice to meet you, sirs!” 

“Thank you.” Harry said awkwardly. “You, too.” The little elf looked pleased and bounced away, leaving Harry to eat in peace. He took a giant sniff of the raw steak and dug in, scoffing it down within a minute, making sure to lick the blood off his fingers. 

He was glad nobody was around to see and he was glad the little elves weren’t watching. He expected them to be scared of him, but somehow they seemed pretty calm. 

_‘Maybe because they’re magical and can sense intent. And they know you’re not currently a threat despite your state. You’re a werewolf on Wolfsbane, you’re not rogue. They can trust you.’_ A small voice in the back of his head told him. His subconscious always provided answers when he just didn’t know them, himself. 

He doesn’t know if it’s only his imagination, maybe he just thinks too loudly. He doesn’t know if he’s going crazy from living with the Dursley’s too long and is now experiencing auditory hallucinations. Or he doesn’t know if it’s something to do with the lycanthropy, perhaps the wolf part of him is actually speaking out. That would be interesting. 

He shrugs it off and decides to forget about it. It’s never done him any harm before. He’s just a weird anomaly, best not to overthink things when it comes to him. 

When his stomach ache subsides slightly, he gets up, thanks the house elves and heads back to his dorm room. His muscles still hurt when he walks and he still has a headache but he crawls into bed slowly, groans like an old man despite his young age and immediately passes out as soon as his head hits the pillow. 

So, now here he was. Sweating away in bed, whimpering, clutching his belly and tugging his hair. He’d woken up at five in the morning and started panting for breath. He felt like he’d been running a marathon. He staggered up out of bed and went to open the window by his bedside to let cool air in. He then stumbled and crashed into his beside table, flopping back onto the bed. 

Yeah, he’s definitely not getting out of bed today. His legs are far too weak and his head is spinning. His bones feel like they’re crunching, oh god. He grabs onto his blanket and curls around it, whimpering into his pillow. 

A couple of hours later, he felt someone tap on his shoulder and gently shake him. When he refused to respond, they shook him harder. 

“Harry. Harry.” Ron whined at him. “Come on, Harry. It’s breakfast. Let’s go before everyone eats all the good stuff.” He shook him again. “Harry!”

Then he felt a weight being released from on top of his entire body and everything go brighter. Oh, he must have been hiding under his blanket. 

Harry groaned softly and curled up tighter around himself, laying on is side and bringing his knees up to his chest. He was trembling, too.

“Hey, are you okay?” Ron suddenly asked panicked.

Harry didn’t respond, just concentrated on his breathing. But inside his head, he was screaming. _‘Please go away! Go away now! I want to be alone!’_

He just couldn’t open his mouth to get the words out. Silent tears began to drop from his eyes, dampening his bedsheets. Ron saw it and his eyes went wide. “Mate, what’s wrong? Tell me.” He asked sympathetically. “Are you hurt?” Harry just nodded weakly. “Okay, stay there. I’m going to get McGonagall!” He ran from the room at last and Harry let out a sigh of relief, only to be hit with a gasp of pain. 

He clutched tightly at his ribs where the bite mark was and winced, it was burning. As were the rest of his scars. Typical...

He tried cuddling up to his pillow as comfort but instead ended up ripping right through it with his nails, feathers getting everywhere. 

He scoffed and laid back on the bed panting, staring up at the ceiling with tears dripping out the corners of his eyes, lips trembling. He was scared and sad, and he felt lonely. 

He doesn’t want to do this. Nobody understands him!

He suddenly gets a fit of rage and finds the energy to stand up, throwing himself from his bed and ripping his sheets off his bed, tearing them apart. He goes into his closet and takes out all his clothes, throwing them across the room whilst screaming, his whole body hurting in _agony_ , but at least the anger that he’s unleashing is a good way of coping. It certainly feels better than just laying around like a sissy little crybaby. 

He picks up books from his trunk and hurls them at the walls as hard as he can. Throws ink pots at the walls until they crack and leave dark splats everywhere. He wipes everything he has off his bedside table with just a stroke of his arm, smashing everything to the ground. 

Oh well, magic can fix it all, right? 

He hears footsteps coming towards the door and it opens, revealing Ron with horror on his face, McGonagall, Dumbledore and even Snape, all standing there staring at him with eyes wide. 

He doesn’t care though, he’s too _mad_ to care. He keeps screaming at the top of his lungs and throwing things. He picks up things, stuff that doesn’t even belong to him anymore, sorry Ron, and starts hurling them at the wall, the door where they’re standing causing them to back up, even the window which lets out a horrible sounding ‘crack!’

“I swear, he wasn’t like that when I left him here!” He hears Ron yell. “He was lying over there in bed, crying and lying still. He wasn’t even saying anything, he couldn’t move! He was in too much pain, that’s why I came to get you!” He yelled panicked at McGonagall who tried to hush him with gentle hands on his shoulders.

“It’s okay, we understand.” She said soothingly.

Harry turned his glare on them all and he saw her gulp. 

“Mr Potter, it’s quite alright. You’re safe here, I promise.” Dumbledore said in a calm voice. He slowly tried approaching him, holding his hand out. Snape, however, had different opinions. 

“Headmaster, don’t. Keep your distance.” He spoke in a sharp tone. “Give him room to calm down.” Dumbledore sighed and nodded. Snape then looked to Harry with a soft expression. “Mr Potter, why don’t you sit down in what’s left of your bed, hmm?” 

Harry was still trying to control his breathing, his nails digging in so hard to his palms, yet again, that he’d drawn blood, as there was now red staining them. 

Ron seemed to notice as he went to point it out but a quick glare from Snape had him shutting up instantly. McGonagall still had her hands on his shoulders.

“Mr Weasley, why don’t we leave them to take care of things?” She smiled at him. “We’ll go to my office and you can have some tea and biscuits.” 

“That sounds like a wonderful idea.” The headmaster smiled at them. “Off you pop, Mr Weasley.” 

Ron nodded and glanced back at Harry one last time, a look of both fear and worry on his face before leaving with McGonagall. 

“Tell me what you’re thinking, Mr Potter.” Snape asked him calmly from where he was still standing near the doorway. 

_‘In case he needs to run away from me.’_

Harry started to tear up, against his will, yet again. “That I’m a monster.” 

“My boy, that’s not true.” Dumbledore said with a compassionate voice.

Harry scoffed at him and showed them his bloodied and ruined hands. “Look at me!” He screamed in anguish. Then he pointed to around the room. “And look at what I just did! You saw it!” He had angry tears streaming down his face.

He expected to get into trouble for all of this, he expected to get expelled or a detention or something. Anything!

But Dumbledore just sighed and shook his head. “It’s not your fault, Harry. You know this. Would you have done this at any other time?” He raised an eyebrow. “Two weeks ago, even a week ago. Would you have done what you have done today?”

Harry thought about it and gulped. “No... I don’t ruin people’s property.” He said genuinely.

“Exactly.” He smiled and flicked his wand, suddenly repairing everything in the room and putting it back in place. Harry watched in amazement. “See? It’s like nothing even happened.” He grinned.

Snape just tutted. “And we could have kept it that way if it weren’t for Mr Weasley knowing about it all.” 

“Severus, if it weren’t for Mr Weasley, we wouldn’t have known about Harry, would we?” 

Snape sighed. “Of course, not. But, he still better keep his mouth shut or I swear I’ll-“

Dumbledore cut him off with a raised hand. “Please, Severus. You’ll give an old man a heart attack with such words.”

“Hmm...” he just glowered.

Harry felt himself begin to settle down and looked towards his bed, slowly walking towards it. He sat down and started picking at his nails aggressively.

Dumbledore and Snape came over to him, summoning chairs out of nowhere to sit across from him. Snape took his hands and used a spell to clean away the blood. 

“You’ll need to go to Madam Pomfrey to get that checked.” He said quietly.

“I’m fine.” Harry said uninterested.

“But-“

“But nothing!” Harry snapped at him. He heard him take in a deep breath and expected him to lash out at him over it but he honestly didn’t care. He was used to it from adults, plus he’s got more important things to worry about than some stupid grumpy adults.

But much to his shock and relief, Snape didn’t say anything at all. When Harry looked up, he was just looking at his hands and the scars, studying them. 

“Harry.” Dumbledore spoke up. “Professor McGonagall is going to talk to Mr Weasley for you, like we all agreed. You’ll be safe, this is the best place for you to be.” 

Harry just nodded.

“Could do with a bit of redecorating, though.” Snape muttered, looking around. “It’s awfully bright.”

“I believe you need some colour in your life, Severus.” Dumbledore smiled at him. “Find it.” His eyes twinkled and Snape just glared at him. 

Harry felt like piggy-in-the-middle, glancing back between the two of them. Was there some hidden meaning there? He shrugged yet another thing off and sighed.

“How about you get some rest, Mr Potter?” Dumbledore turned to him instead. “You still look tired.” 

Harry rubbed his eyes and let out a shudder. 

“Yeah.” He whispered.

“A house elf will come by during the day and give you what you need. They won’t be scared of you, I’m sure you’re aware.” His eyes twinkled yet again.

“Uh-huh.” 

“Well, then!” Dumbledore smiled happily and stood up, heading for the door. “Aren’t you coming Severus?”

“A moment.” He said, holding up a finger. Dumbledore just nodded and left the room, heading downstairs. Snape stayed sitting across from him and sighed. “You have been taking your potions?”

“Yes.” Harry nodded. “I just didn’t expect that to happen. I’m usually so good at keeping it together, but for some reason...” 

“It’s okay.” He said calmly. “As you get older, the lycanthropy develops as yourself does. It’ll grow more mature. It can unfortunately be an incredibly difficult time for a person going through their teenage years to deal with lycanthropy. Well, because of, uh...” he scratched the back of his neck. 

Harry snorted. “Don’t worry, I know what you’re going to say.” 

_‘I am not going to let him talk to me about puberty! I’d rather get punched in the face.’_

“Right, good.” He seemed as relieved as Harry did. “So, you understand then. You’ll learn more about it when you’re in your third year, during your Defense Against the Dark Arts classes.” 

Harry nodded. “I know.” 

“Hmm.” Snape eyed him for a moment before sighing and crossing his hands, sitting up straighter. “When I was in school, I knew a werewolf. He was in my year.” 

Harry’s eyes went wide at that. “You did? Who?” 

“I’m not the kind of person who’s going to rat someone out, no matter how much I want to.” He got a bitter look on his face for a second before wiping it. “The point is, despite how little we knew of each other and despite the fact that we were _far_ from friends, I still saw what he had to go through every month, even though he tried to hide it.” Snape said, seriously. “And I know that it always looked painful. So, I believe you when you say you can’t control yourself or you’re in pain.” 

Harry wasn’t going to tear up, he’s not a pansy. But the thought was still there. This really meant a lot, that someone was willing to believe him like this, take his word so easily. He nodded his thanks.

“But, wait!” He suddenly remembered. “Professor Dumbledore said he also knew a werewolf years ago. Apparently he was friends with my parents.” He raised an eyebrow. “Is this the same person?” 

Snape just shifted a little in his seat and nodded. He didn’t say anything more so Harry didn’t bother asking, but it was nice to know that at least he and his parents were in somewhat the same social circle in school. He doesn’t know if any of them at all were friends or not, maybe Snape would tell him one day? 

But, at least he knows he doesn’t hold that much prejudice against werewolves, just like his parents didn’t, and that makes him relieved. 

Snape then sighed. “Remember to take your potions with your food tonight, Harry. And go to bed on time.” He said, standing up, heading for the door. 

Harry was left speechless. Did Professor Snape of all people just call him by his first name? He must have imagined that. That man really is spooky, sometimes. 

* * *

It was nearly midnight and Harry was tucked away in his bed, curtains completely drawn and only in his underwear. Every piece of item felt too constricted and hot, like he was suffocating. 

He’d chugged back the potion about an hour ago when a little house elf had mysteriously popped into his room with a raw steak ready for him, which he’d scoffed down within a few seconds.

He’d assured Ron earlier that day when he’d calmed down that he was just coming down with the flu and was freaking out. He seemed to believe him as he said McGonagall told him the same thing. 

Thank god!

He’d since then left him alone, wanting to give him room to rest. He’s a good friend, for sure, and Harry feels awful for lying to him. But what if he turns against him if he learns the truth? Will he be the perfect friend he always thought he was? Best not risk it.

He’s writhing in bed and biting into a pillow, tears streaming out his eyes. His bones grind every time he moves and his muscles throb. His scars _burn._ His eyeballs hurt, his nails are scratching all over himself and he can’t stop it, he feels like he’s seizing from how hard he’s trashing.

He bites into his mouth and blood comes out. He gives himself a nose bleed by punching himself out of anger. He rips his own hair out his scalp.

It lasts all night, it doesn’t end, it never stops. He can’t sleep, he can’t think, nobody can help. All he can do is try to bare through it, when all he really wants is to just die.

* * *

He wakes up the next day, wishing he hadn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3


	6. Taking 'Care' Of The Troll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally feeling better, competing with a know-it-all, and the death of a magical creature.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay but I was trying to figure out how to write this properly. The timelines were a bit foggy but I think I’ve got the hang of it for now. 
> 
> As we’re a couple of months in, that means two moons have went past, but I’m not going to fully write them all in detail, as you’ve seen in this chap, it’ll just be a quick scan over. 
> 
> STUFF HAS HAPPENED IN THIS CHAP OOOH! Shits getting real ;)
> 
> I updated my tags AGAIN! Added ‘Murder’ and ‘Violence’ to the mix and you’ll figure out why lmfao. But this chapter might explain a little bit of it, as it’s the beginning of something.
> 
> You’re probably thinking “why is he so mean to Hermione???” HARRY IS A COMPLEX GREY CHARACTER AND HAS TRUST ISSUES! it’ll be a weird connection they have... he’s not the nicest, and he’ll certainly get worse. 
> 
> If you’ve read the first book then you’ll DEFINITELY see how much of a drastic change there’s been in his personality and that’s because of the lycanthropy!!

Of course, when he woke up the next day he felt weak and had slept in until noon. He opened his eyes groggily, pulled back his bed curtains and looked around the room. It was empty, thank goodness. His stomach, head, hands, arms, legs, chest and everything else hurt. He looked down at himself and sighed. He was covered in scratches and bruises.

When he took in a deep breath he winced, bringing a hand up to his nose. He gasped when he felt it. It felt as if the bone had been snapped and the skin was torn, dried blood around around it.

 _'Did I break my own nose? I'll need to go to Madam Pomfrey.'_ He internally sighed, feeling defeated. His stomach started growling again and he groaned in pain, he can't get up, he's too tired and groggy. But he's hungry.

Suddenly, as if sensing his dilemma, another little house elf popped by his bedside and offered him a small steak with a glass of water and some potion with a note attached. He read it over quickly.

_This should help, somewhat, with the pain. Drink up._

It was in Professor Snape's usual fancy handwriting and he didn't hesitate for even a second before chugging it back. This one didn't taste as bad, that's at least something.

Instantly, he felt some of his headache and muscle aches decrease and let out a big sigh of relief. He dug right into the steak and finished the water off within a minute, the elf disappearing with the tray it came with.

When he started to feel better, he got up to use the bathroom, cleaning up a little bit and then wrapped a blanket around himself, shivering from the cold. He put a hoodie and pyjama trousers on hoping it'd be comfy enough and sneaked his way down the common room, all the while casting a 'Notice-Me-Not' charm on himself. 

Professor Snape never told him that it could work on people, only objects, but magic essentially works all the same, it's all about intent, and he intends to not be noticed. 

Therefore, he casts as many times as he can until he's sure it's taking effect, because when he walks into the common room and sees people in there, rather than be greeted by usual smiles and happy faces, nobody even glances in his direction.

It worked again, yes!

He doesn't want people to think the door opened all by itself so he waits in the corner for a few seconds, thinking. Then he sees a girl get up and head for the door, saying she's going to the library, a perfect way for him to sneak out with her. 

He does so and is very careful not to make loud noises or bump into her. He makes it all the way to Madam Pomfrey's without anyone even glancing at him out the corner of their eye.

He'd make a good Slytherin, definitely. Screw you, Malfoy.

He walks inside and looks around, using the counter charm so she can spot him, then tucks his wand back away in his holster. 

He clears his throat. "Um, hi." He says awkwardly from the doorway. 

"Mr Potter!" She gasps and rushes towards him. "Come in, I was going to come up and see if you were alright any minute now. We did get an alert that you had woken up." She smiled at him, pulling him towards a bed and sitting him down on it.

"You did?" He raised an eyebrow.

"From one of the teachers. He set it in place so he'd know when you're up and about, ready for someone to come fetch you. Only on _those_ nights, though. You don't need a babysitter." She grinned. "So, you didn't need to come down here, Mr Potter." 

"Well, I didn't know." He shrugged then winced, pain sparking in his shoulder.

She tutted and gestured for him to remove his blanket and jumper which he did after some mild hesitation. The muggle nurse at the hospital was kind enough to take care of him and bandage him up, and Madam Pomfrey doesn't seem like the type to judge, either. Especially knowing what he is.

She waves a wand all over him and sighs, gets rid of any remaining blood he's not managed to yet, applied some weird smelling potions all over his body in different places, and makes him drink yet another one, whilst bandaging him up.

"It's for your bones, they're fragile right now and you don't want them breaking. Otherwise, we'll have to use bone growing potions and believe me, you wouldn't want that." She grimaced. "Very painful, indeed." She then looked at his nose. "Speaking of..." She then pulled out her wand again and pointed it at his face. "Episkey! 

Harry heard a crack, let out a wince of pain and clutched his nose. After a second, it settled down and actually felt so much better. "Was it broken?"

"Pretty badly." She shook her head. "I'm surprised you weren't crying." She said amazed.

Harry just rolled his eyes. "I've had worse." He mumbled quietly under his breath.

"Hmm?"

"Nothing." He smiled innocently.

"Here's what I want you to do. You'll go back to bed, get as much sleep as you can and eat when hungry. Do not leave it. If anyone tries to get you up out of bed, tell them you're feeling poorly."

"Well, I am..." Harry scoffed.

"Exactly. And I won't have my patients running around the school falling ill and permanently landing themselves in here." She scolded.

Harry just yawned and nodded. "Okay."

"Now, off you trot." She handed him back his blanket and jumper which he gently put back on, careful not to bump any of his wounds. 

"I shall escort him back, Poppy." A sudden voice appeared in the doorway. Snape. Does this man ever rest?

"Severus, I didn't expect you to be here." She said with wide eyes but then smiled. "Just as well, he could do with some supervision in case anything goes wrong. On you go." She shooed him out the infirmary and he walked back around the way he came, Professor Snape following behind him. 

"So, now that you're all wrapped up like a mummy..." Jeez, thanks. "Tell me, how you're doing this evening." Snape spoke to him once they were around an empty corner. He cast a spell which Harry assumes granted them privacy. 

"I'm tired and my arms and legs feel like they're going to fall off." Harry said, blinking to keep his eyes open. 

"Hmm." Snape nodded. "Well, we can't have that. It would be make a terrible reputation for the school." He muttered sarcastically. "Go to bed and rest. If Weasley or any of the other reckless dorm mates you have bother you too much, hex them with any spell that you've learned so far." 

Harry's eyes went wide. "But I can't, that's not allowed! Plus, you're a teacher." He said, confused on why he was given _permission_ to hex another student.

Snape just raised an eyebrow. "And? I won't tell if you won't. Our word against theirs."

Harry's just sighed. "Alright. Never mind." He shook his head, this teacher was quite mad. Although, he does have an interesting point. 

Nobody would believe one student who had a reputation for trouble making, if they tried to get the quiet kid into trouble, who also had a teacher to back him up. He was internally grateful.

He doesn't know what his true relationship is with Malfoy, he knows he's not enemies with him as he's his head of house and has to have some kind of favouritism for him in classes, but he's noticed behind closed doors, he's a whole lot different and gets mad at his silly behaviour easily, quick to give detentions. 

Maybe, if Harry _accidentally_ hexes Malfoy or _accidentally_ pushes him down the stairs, Professor Snape would still back him up. Only time would tell.

"Come on." Snape continued to lead him in the direction of the Gryffindor tower and nodded his goodbye, turning away quickly and practically running away, as if he was allergic to the place. A bit over dramatic but not unexpected. 

Harry didn't bother with the ‘Notice-Me-Not’ charm this time round, he looked a little better from the potions and healing, and quickly just ran to his dorm, ignoring everyone who glanced his way, probably to ask questions if he was alright.

He collapsed straight into bed and stirred for about ten minutes, trying to get comfortable because of his stupid bandages, before falling into a restless sleep.

* * *

The rest of the week went by not so good. He still felt rubbish and stayed in bed for a few days, but he was gradually getting better. Though, his friends were concerned and kept asking questions, bothering the hell out of him. Most of all, Ron, who hovered over his bedside every couple of hours to make sure he hadn't died. 

Ron brought him his school work, saying that the teachers had given him notes to take to him so he could catch up on his homework. He was thankful for that, he didn't want to fall behind. 

Whilst everyone else was in class, he focused on doing his homework and studying from bed, loaded up on pain potions and having an elf pop in every few hours to give him a raw steak. It would have been amusing if it didn't still upset him so much.

It reminded him what he was, all the bad things people had said. He got depressed lying in bed all the time and weepy, too. He still couldn't talk to anyone about much because he felt they wouldn't understand.

He's a wizard in a magical school, he's supposed to be in classes and having fun out on the grounds, flying brooms and in the Great Hall. But this is his life, he'll just have to suck it up. 

_'Be a brave and strong Gryffindor.'_ He pathetically tells himself, even though he feels so scared and weak.

* * *

It was the middle of October and Harry had been busy with his quidditch practise with Wood. The boy was extremely happy to find out that he could catch the snitch within a minute of it being in the air, as were the rest of his teammates, and so this made Harry feel happy for the first time in a little while and actually enjoy the sport.

He'd also gotten great marks in all his classes. Despite being bedridden a few weeks ago, he still caught up on everything and completed every assignment with determination that had his teachers praising and adoring him. He was one of the top student in his class, along with that know-it-all Hermione, and felt more and more proud of himself as the days went by. Maybe he could do something right.

He was never really the competitive type as he never had anything to compete with, but as it just so happens, he feels the need to seriously prove himself, like he can be a great wizard. He doesn't want anyone to think reputations or past encounters will hold him back. He wants to show people what he's capable of, no matter how cocky that may sound.

But it's not cockiness, he's not Malfoy. It's an ambition to be great. 

His plan is to beat Hermione in every class despite the fact that she throws her hand up all the time and shouts out the answers before she's even called upon. He rolls his eyes every time, she's lost them points quite a bit.

And she called us selfish before? 

Harry easily gained them back, though, by using his charisma and cleverness towards the teachers in class. Of course, she'd cross her arms and he could tell she wanted to throw a strop.

He was amazing in Potions class, it was probably his best. He enjoyed mixing things and watching them simmer, and then feeling proud of himself when he saw the finished result. He also took great pleasure in watching all the other people fail whilst he succeeded, even Hermione at times. 

Plus, he constantly had to hide a laugh when someone would blow up a cauldron. Mainly Seamus, who was always losing his eyebrows and hair. He liked the guy, he was nice, but he was seriously a moron at times. 

It was also brilliant seeing Malfoy throw a tantrum if Goyle dropped something into their potion too soon and it would start to fizz. He'd watch in amusement as Professor Snape tried to keep it together, obviously wanting to tear into them but couldn't because house loyalty.

He would have been great at Defense Against the Dark Arts classes too, but every time he went in there, he had to pinch his nose and wipe his eyes from the overload of garlic and he couldn't concentrate on the scared and stuttering teacher. 

He held up a bizarre looking animal one day, trying to explain it's qualities, but instead he looked as if he wanted to chuck the poor thing out the window. 

Plus, he always gets a _massive_ headache when he's in his class. It's a bit concerning. He'll look into the Professor's eyes and he'll see him staring at him creepily, as if he's trying to read him somehow. It's a little weird. Then, when he turns away, mumbling go himself, he gets a sharp stinging in his forehead. 

He always growls when that happens. He feels like something isn't right but can't put his finger on it. Either way, he does not like this teacher. 

So, in order to learn things about this class because clearly their teacher is incompetent, Harry decides to teach himself. He's already read up on the things that's in their first year book and memorised it back to front, but it's not enough. He doesn't have any materials yet, but he plans on going into the library and seeing if they have any books on the Dark Arts. 

The stuff they have might not be in his year level and that's why you have to buy it, but it's worth a try. He wants to learn as much as he can. 

_'I will be a good wizard, I won't let a stupid teacher hold me back!'_

He's great at Transfiguration and Professor McGonagall always smiles at him when he turns things with ease. It takes other people several times and some people can't do it at all, but Harry always gets it his first try. She's awarded him several points for this.

He's also good at Charms. It's not necessarily his favourite class but it's fun, all the same. As is Herbology and everything else.

He's in the library, looking through a bunch of different books that peek his interest, anything that has any connection to the Defense classes, but sighs and shakes his head. There doesn't seem to be much. Maybe everyone else has taken them to study. After all, it's a pretty difficult and serious class, not that his classmates would know that considering their reject of a teacher teaches them nothing.

All of a sudden, a random face pops up next to him. "Looking for something in particular? I've come in here for a bit of light reading and I saw you over here looking a bit frustrated." Hermione's squeaky voice spoke up. "Do you need help finding anything?"

"No, I'm good, thanks." Harry muttered, continuously searching whilst walking away from her quickly, hoping she doesn't follow.

She hadn't spoken to him since the whole near death experience and he was quite honestly okay with that. 

His wishes weren't granted as she trails behind him. "I'm looking for some Charms books. I've been trying to properly learn the incantation and wand movements for the levitation charm as that's what we'll be studying soon. It can't hurt to read ahead." She said with a raised eyebrow.

"It's 'Wingardium Leviosa'". Harry said bored and continued walking away, around different corners and not looking back. She just stood there gaping before running up to him again. 

"How do you know that?" She accused, as if it were something bad.

He just sneered at her. "Because I read up on it." He then grinned at her. "After all, it can't hurt to read ahead." He walked off again, leaving her. 

He heard her gulp and then scoffed loudly. "Prove it, then!" 

Harry just turned around and glared at her. Then he whipped out his wand from his holster and pointed it at a book on a shelf. 

"Wingardium Leviosa." He said and made the book float off the shelf and hover in front of her face for five seconds whilst she stood there gaping. He rolled his eyes and put the book back, tucking his wand away. "Satisfied?"

She stuttered over what to say, shaking her head with eyes wide. 

He just scoffed and stalked away from her yet again. _’This girl is so annoying.'_ He thought irritably to himself.

"How did you do that?" She asked finally, no longer in shock, just eyeing him up. 

Harry sighed and turned around, giving a sarcastic smile. "Magic." 

He then stormed away and, thankfully, didn't hear her footsteps following her. Good thing, too, otherwise he'd probably hex her. He'd been reading up on those in a book he found in the library recently that talked about jinxes, hexes and curses used for pranks and attacks. 

He was pretty sure the Weasley twins had borrowed this one million times before, and he laughed about it, deciding it was worth his time. 

He was right. Obviously.

* * *

Soon enough, yet another full moon night came and it went just as horribly as the last one. He made up the exact same excuse to Ron that he did before, saying he had a stomach bug. 

When Ron raised his eyebrows at him, he told him he must be eating something bad and will have to be careful, then he turned it on him too, giving him a false warning, saying he should be careful he doesn't get sick also. 

Ron nodded and decided to take his word seriously, also deciding to stay away from Harry in case he caught his "stomach bug". 

Harry dealt with it. He took the potions, he ate his food, Madam Pomfrey cleaned him up, he skipped classes and did work from bed. Then, once it was over, he got back on his feet and acted as if nothing had happened. 

Just like he'll have to do for the next seven years.

It was the morning of Halloween and Harry woke up to the smell pumpkin wafting into the dormitories. He looked over to Ron who was still asleep and threw his pillow at him.

"Ron. Ron, wake up!" He whisper yelled. "Ron, you fat pig." He rolled his eyes when he stirred. "Ronald, there's food!" He said in a cheerful voice. 

Immediately he jumped out of bed and looked around with wide eyes. Harry had to hold back a laugh. This boy was as food crazy as Dudley. Except, Dudley is just greedy because he can be. Ron has an excuse, his family isn't exactly the most wealthy so he'll give him a break.

"Where?" He asked, tummy rumbling.

"In the Great Hall, stupid." Harry said, getting out of bed. He got up and ready, eventually heading down to the Great Hall with Ron, where the smell continued throughout the corridors. "What is that?" He asked curiously.

"What's what?" Ron asked with raised eyebrows.

"That smell?" He have a sniff. "It's like a weird pie." 

"I don't smell anything." Ron said, looking at him curiously. "You must have super good smelling senses, mate." He grinned. "I really want pie." He said happily.

Harry just grinned and nodded, awkwardly. So, it was his wolfy nose picking it up. He needs to be more careful, someone smarter could have picked that up and realised. 

They had a good time in the Great Hall, though. Ron was pigging out as usual. Percy was acting as if he's having tea with the Queen whilst Ron calls him _uppity,_ making Harry snort. Hermione was sitting away from Harry with narrowed eyes, clearly still displeased with him after he showed her up. Like, come on! Nobody was even around. But since she wants to be that way, he's going to do so today, considering they have Charms class. 

Later that day when the class came around, Professor Flitwick had announced that he thought they were all ready to start making objects fly. This was something they had all been dying to try since they'd seen him make Neville's toad zoom around the classroom. 

Professor Flitwick decided to put the class into pairs to practice. Harry was partnered with Seamus, which was a slight relief, because Neville had been trying to catch his eye. He likes Neville but he doesn't want him to blow him up. No offence, Neville. 

Ron, however, was partnered up with Hermione. Harry couldn't tell whether Ron or Hermione were angrier about this situation. She hadn't spoken a word to Ron since the day Harry's broomstick had arrived. 

Professor Flitwick got up on his pile of books and spoke out to the class. "Remember to use the nice wrist moment we've been practicing. Just swish and flick!" He smiled.

Everyone started to practice the spell on the feathers they had placed in front of them on the table. Some people's feathers didn't do anything and other people's wobbled a little bit. Harry had to jump back when Seamus' feather caught fire. He quickly put it out with his robe and looked to Harry apologetically.

"Sorry, Harry." 

"Whatever." He sighed. He then sat up straighter and looked over his shoulder, seeing Hermione glaring at Ron who was stabbing at his feather with his wand. He decided to make her madder. "Wingardium Leviosa!" 

"Well, look at that! Mr Potter has done it!" Flitwick exclaimed happy to the class. 

He saw Hermione glare over in his direction and he raised an eyebrow at her, gesturing towards her feather for her to do the same.

She sat up straighter and spoke the incantation as clearly as his did, her feather also floating up on the air, although not as high, much to his amusement.

He clapped for her, being a good sport.

"And look, Miss Granger's done it, too! Well done, both of you. Five points each." He grinned.

Everyone else continued to try, some people getting frustrated and throwing their wands and others throwing the feathers. Ron kept poking at the feather and waving his wand around mad, screaming the incantation like it would help at all.

Harry watched their bickering, holding in a laugh. 

"Ron, stop it!" Hermione snapped at him. "You're saying it wrong. It's Levi-oh-sah. Not Levio-sah." She pronounced each syllable clearly.

"You think you're so clever." Ron scoffed. She just crossed her arms and glared. 

Soon, they all left class and when they were outside, Ron was still sulking. 

"Honestly, that girl is a nightmare." He whined. "'It's Levi-oh-sah.' Pfft. Like I care!" Ron snapped. "No wonder she hasn't got any friends."

Just then, a shoulder slammed hard into him, making him stumble and Ron winced, rubbing it. Harry stared as Hermione walked by, tears streaming down her face.

"I think she heard you..." He said awkwardly.

“I think she broke my arm, that's more serious." Ron mumbled, getting a small grin from Harry. 

Hermione didn't bother showing up to their next class and she wasn't seen for the rest of the afternoon. When Harry's curiosity got the better of him and he asked where she was, Pavarti Patil told him that she'd been in the girl's bathroom crying and wanted to be left alone.

Ron looked uncomfortable but Harry told him to brush it off. It wasn't their fault if she decided to get offended.

 _’It was just a silly comment, no big deal. I've taken loads worse and still gotten on with my day. Girl needs to grow a backbone.'_ He thought to himself.

Harry started enjoying the feast with Ron, looking in amusement at all the bats that were flying around the room and scaring the living daylights out of Malfoy, who insisted they were going to mess up his hair. 

Just as he was in the middle of enjoying a tasty pumpkin pasty, Professor Quirrell slammed open the Great Hall doors and ran into the room, screaming at the top of his lungs. 

"T-troll! Troll, in the d-dungeons! Thought you ought to know..." he then passed out in the middle of the floor and everyone gaped for a second before chaos erupted.

Everyone got up and started running around, screaming about not wanting to die. Harry just sat where he was, as if screaming was going to help. If anything, it was going to alert the troll of their whereabouts and it'd come for them here.

Suddenly, there was a shout.

"Silence!" Dumbledore's loud voice voice rang through the room, quieting everyone. "Prefects, please take your houses back to their dormitories." 

Suddenly, Percy shoved his way forward and tried to lead them out the Great Hall.

"Follow me, first years! Stick together, follow me! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, move it! I'm a prefect!" He said with a firm voice. 

Harry felt kind of bad for the Slytherins. Their common room was in the dungeons so how were they supposed to get there without risking death? Oh well, he's not in their house so it's not his problem. Perhaps if he's lucky, Malfoy will get clunked on the back of the head.

"How do you think a troll got in?" Ron asked confused. "I heard they're really stupid.”

"Perhaps, Peeves just let it in as a Halloween joke." Harry said, walking up the stairs with the rest of their dorm mates. Just as they were about to turn a corner, Ron grabbed his arm. 

"Wait, I just remembered something!" He whisper yelled.

"Will it help you in class?" Harry asked, raising his eyebrows.

"No, shut up." He snapped. "Hermione doesn't know about the troll." 

"I'm sure she'll find out if she hears massive footsteps." Harry grinned.

Ron gaped at him for a moment before shaking his head. "I'm serious. Isn't the girl's bathroom near the dungeons? She could get hurt."

"Ron, so is the Slytherin common room and they're going down there. I'm sure they'll stumble across each other and they'll look after her."

' _Unlikely.'_ He laughed inside his head.

"You know that's not true." Ron sighed, as if reading his thoughts. "Come on, Harry."

"You don't even like her!" Harry snapped.

"I know, but if something happens to her it'll be my fault." Ugh, his stupid guilty conscious. 

Harry just sighed and rubbed his sore eyes. "Fine, but you're taking care of it."

Ron just nodded and they crept away from the crowd of people, sneakily heading towards the dungeons where the girl's bathroom was.

When they were nearly there, they heard footsteps coming from around a corner. They hid and when they peeked their head's around, they saw Snape heading in the direction of the third floor.

Harry didn't think much of it, but Ron just started talking loudly as soon as he was out of earshot.

"Why is Snape not with the other teachers? Why is he heading for that corridor?" He asked, slightly accusingly.

"I don't know, Ron." Harry sighed. He then frowned when his nose picked up something. "Do you smell that?" 

"Smell what?"

Harry gave another sniff and then _gagged_. It was horrible, whatever it was. He pointed in the direction of the smell and Ron just raised an eyebrow, walking a little closer before finally smelling it and cringing, too.

It smelled like old socks and dirty toilets.

They then heard thumping and groaning. They eyed each other panicked and hid in the shadows. Then they saw it.

It was a twelve foot tall troll, it's skin was grey and dull, it had a tiny head on its large body and it had long arms which were holding a giant stick, ready to beat someone with.

The troll walked about slowly, looking around itself, until it came to a doorway, peeked inside and walked into the room.

"Let's just lock it indoors." Harry said with a raised brow.

Ron nodded and moved to go forward, locking the door quietly and taking the key with them. They bolted as quickly as they could out of there, happy to be free, until they heard a loud scream.

It was Hermione, and she was trapped inside.

Ron just looked at him in panic whilst Harry bit his lip. 

"Come on, we have to go back for her!" Ron said, pulling him back by the arm. 

"You go." Harry said firmly. 

"What?"

"I'm not risking my life for her, Ron!" He snapped. "I didn't even want to come here in the first place, if she's that important to you then go unlock the door and get her yourself." Harry sighed and crossed his arms. "I'll wait here for you." He smiled.

Ron just stared at him with wide eyes, clearly unable to stand hearing this. "How can you say something like that? You'd just let her get killed by the troll?" 

"No. I'm not letting her get killed, I'm sending you after her so she doesn't." Harry said as if it were the simplest thing ever. 

Ron just eyed him, warily. 

If Ron thinks that Harry is going to run off and be the big hero he wants him to be, he can forget it. He's not reckless, he's spent too much time with the Dursley's getting hurt, and he doesn't want to willingly put himself back in harms way.

"Fine." Ron finally snapped out and took off.

He heard Ron distantly fumble for the lock on the door and heard screaming inside the room. He tapped his foot on the ground impatiently, he just wants to go back to their dormitory before they get caught and get into trouble.

 _'I swear, if Ron gets me into trouble, I'm going to kill him.'_ He scowled.

He decided after waiting for two whole minutes and hearing nothing but thumps snd screams, he'd go check. When he peeked his head around the door and into the room, he saw Ron on the troll's back with his wand up it's nose.

He had to hold in a laugh, it was quite comical. Hermione was pressed far up against the wall and looked deathly pale. Ron was then thrown to the ground and Harry had enough already. 

He whipped out his wand from his holster and aimed it at the troll's club with a glare, which it was now swinging towards Ron's head. 

"Wingardium Leviosa!" He shouted, plucking the club out of the troll's giant hands and with a flick of his wand, sent is smashing down violently on it's tiny head. 

Harry must have underestimated his own strength because he was pretty sure it wasn't supposed to smack that hard, he only meant a small whack to disorient or knock it out. Not that he's complaining, though. He must be a lot more powerful than he imagined. He grins smugly to himself. 

The troll wobbled for a few seconds before collapsing straight on the ground, lifeless.

"Is it dead?" Hermione asked in shock, after everything had settled down. 

"Who cares?" Harry scoffed. 

"But, you could have just-" She started to speak up, but he spoke over her.

"Let you die?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "It was either you or the troll. Take your pick."

She gulped and looked down at it before turning her head away, sniffing slightly.

Ron got back up and brushed himself off, taking his wand out the troll's nose with a gag. "Eww! Troll boogers." He cringed and wiped it on the troll's trousers before pocketing it.

Just then, loud footsteps appeared and the door slammed open. 

There stood Professors McGonagall, Snape and Quirrell, all looking shocked at the sight before them. 

Quirrell took one look over the troll and made a whimpering noise, sitting down on a toilet. Pathetic.

McGonagall looked furious. "What on Earth were you thinking?!" She screeched. "You should have been in your dormitories, you could have been killed!" 

"It wasn't our fault!" Harry snapped. When she raised an eyebrow at him, he looked over to Hermione. "It was hers."

Hermione looked taken aback. "What?" She whispered.

"If you hadn't been down here in the first place, hiding away in the toilets and skipping classes because you were in a bad mood, then Ron wouldn't have had the _brilliant_ idea of going after you, and then I wouldn't have been dragged into it." He glared.

McGonagall just stared at him like she didn't know him, at all.

Snape's eyes were slightly narrowed.

Ron just gulped and shifted next to him whilst Hermione got teary eyed, again.

"You're right." She whispered. "It is my fault. I should take responsibility for my actions." She said, wiping her eyes and standing up taller. She spoke to McGonagall, only. "Professor, I was a bit distracted today over something personal and thought it would be a good idea to come down here alone. I realise now that was a poor decision, considering I put other student's lives at risk."

Professor McGonagall just sighed and rubbed her eyes. “Alright, fine. We won’t get into this anymore. Five points will be taken from Gryffindor for being out of your dormitory and skipping classes. But that is all.” She said, sounding tired. 

Harry, Hermione and Ron just nodded.

“H-how is the t-troll d-doing, Professor Snape?” Quirrell stuttered out.

Snape just glared at the incompetent Defense teacher and sighed, behind over it and studying it. After a minute he eyed them all up. "Dead."

“Oh...” Quirrell whimpered, a hand to his chest.

“Who is responsible for this?” Snape asked with raised eyebrows, clearly trying to remain calm. 

“I jumped on its back and shoved my wand up it’s nose, it got bogies all over it...” Ron said with a cringe. Then he looked to Harry. “But, Harry levitated the club over it’s head and slammed it down onto it.”

“You did?” McGonagall asked with wide eyes.

“Yes.” Harry said, simply.

“Hard enough to kill it?” She asked incredulously.

“Yes...” Harry said slowly. Haven’t they been over this, right now?

“But-“ 

She was cut off by Snape who was looking at him, intently. “Minerva, perhaps we should just wrap this up. It’s getting late and the children need their sleep, especially after tonight’s events.” He continued looking at Harry, curiously, before turning to McGonagall. “Besides, if it weren’t for Mr Potter, the girl would surely be dead. Right?” 

Harry nodded when he looked at him again, a serious expression now worn on his face. “Right.”

McGonagall just sighed and nodded, shooing all the three children out the room and telling them to all go to bed. As they ran out the room, Harry caught Snape’s glance and decided to shrug it off. They all headed as quickly as they could back towards the Gryffindor tower, still shaking with nerves.

“Pig snout.” Ron said with a snort to the Fat Lady’s portrait. 

Before it opened, Hermione just looked at them both and sighed. “Thanks... I guess.” She mumbled quietly, before running indoors, not looking back.

Ron seemed to blush, of all things, weird. But Harry just bit his lip. He didn’t understand how people worked sometimes, one second they could behave completely rational and the next they’re dragging you into all sorts of trouble.

He needs to be aware of his surroundings. He needs to be sure he can follow his gut instinct when it comes to people he trusts. He doesn’t want anybody to get hurt. 

Himself, or them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3


	7. The First Quidditch Match

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An suspiciously injured teacher, a dangerous Quidditch match and accusations are made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ron seems to be the little investigator and instigator of the situations going on here, doesn’t he?? Such a change from Harry in canon so I hope you’re keeping up and enjoying it :D

It was November and ice was beginning to form on the mountain tops, quite a nice sight to see from the tower when Harry looked out his dorm window. The grounds outside had frost on them and crunched when you walked, plus everyone was wrapped up in their scarves. 

Harry didn’t necessarily feel the cold that much anymore, that was a blessing. So he didn’t need to worry about catching any colds or wrapping himself up. In fact, it was summer that was the issue, as his body now tends to overheat. But that’s months away.

Quidditch season has now begun and Harry would be playing his first official game on Saturday, after intense weeks of training, in front of the whole school, Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Wood was constantly breathing down his neck, telling him they had to win because that meant they’d be in second place for the house championship.

Harry studied up heavily on Quidditch Through the Ages just to make sure he didn’t ever miss anything, all the while making sure to maintain his perfect grades, finish his homework and take care of his health.

He was still top of his class, and all the teacher’s favourite student. 

Despite the whole troll incident, McGonagall hadn’t flipped out any more than he thought she would. He expected her to pull him aside and start wringing his neck, yelling at him for being reckless or something, but she just left it the way it was that day.

He also expected the headmaster to drag him into his office by his ankles and accuse him of being a murderer for what he did, but he didn’t do such a thing either. Good. Harry would have a few things to say back. 

One thing did happen, though. Professor Snape kept a firm eye on him at all times. Whether in class or in the Great Hall. It should have made him uncomfortable, anybody else would have ran screaming, probably Ron, or would have burst into tears, probably Hermione. 

But Harry felt no threats coming from him, it was as if he were worried, yet again. Why? Harry doesn’t know.

He just let the man brood, choosing not to say anything, instead focusing on perfecting his potions as per usual when in class, getting approving nods and occasionally a point when completed. 

It was the day before the quidditch match and Ron and Harry decided to hang out in the courtyard during lunch. They were blowing out puffs of air and laughing.

Suddenly, a squeaky voice came from behind them. 

“If you’re cold, you could always do this.” Hermione said with a small smile and pulled out a random jam jar lit with blue flames. She sat it on the ground, heat radiating from it and the boys just gaped at her.

“What on Earth?” Ron asked.

“It’s to keep us warm.” She smiled.

“Oh, uh, thanks.” He smiled back, awkwardly. She stood next to them and rubbed her hands together to heat them up.

Harry didn’t say anything. He wasn’t pleased about the situation, she just barged right in and decided it would be okay to hang out with them. But on the other hand, she brought them a fire that’s quite pleasantly warm. He mentally sighed. 

_‘I’ll put up with her, for now.’_

Ron then let out a whimper. Harry turned to see him looking across the courtyard at where Snape was limping. 

Ron and Hermione both looked behind them at where the fire was and gasped loudly, then moved quickly to try and cover it, but the noise and movement caught Snape’s attention and he rushed over to them.

“What are you hiding there, Mr Weasley?” He narrowed his eyes at Ron, who looked guilty. 

“N-nothing!” Ron stuttered out, sounding like Professor Quirrell.

“Oh? Do you have any idea Miss Granger?” 

She gulped and refused to look into his eyes. “Um...”

Snape just scoffed. “Move out of the way!” He snapped and shoved them both aside, brandishing his wand and using a water spell to put out the fire. “Fires on school property? Is becoming an arsonist on your to-do list?” He asked them both, glaring. 

Harry just stood off to the side, not saying anything. His arms were crossed and he was bored. He didn’t want any of this to happen. It’s always this girl. Whenever she shows up, something bad happens!

First, the midnight duel incident. She was there when she wasn’t supposed to be and they all almost got killed by a big dog. Then, the troll incident in which she recklessly put her own life in danger and had to have classmates save her, resulting in one of her rescuers committing a _murder_ of a creature. Now, she gets them into trouble with a teacher for arson, which he didn’t even do. 

He glares at her, too.

“Sir, it was just for some warmth.” Hermione spoke up quietly.

“If you want warmth, go indoors.” He snapped. “Five points from Gryffindor, I hope you’re proud.” 

She gasped and looked to Ron, who was just looking at his feet nervously and then to Harry, who was glaring hatefully. 

“Well done.” He said flatly. Seeing her gulp, he continues. “But don’t worry, I’ll make sure to win us a whole _bunch_ of house points tomorrow when I win us the quidditch match.” He smiled. 

“Yes!” Ron grinned.

Snape just tutted. “Enough of this. Indoors, it’s cold out.” He shoved Hermione and Ron roughly towards the entrance to the castle, making both of them glare, but was a lot gentler with Harry. 

_‘Thanks Professor Snape, I appreciate that.’_ He said internally, not quite willing to show affection outwards. 

When they were all indoors and out of the cold, he limped away and Ron scoffed at his back.

“He’s such a prat.” He mumbled. “I wonder what’s wrong with his leg?” 

“I’m not too sure, but I hope it’s hurting him, terribly.” Hermione snapped. 

“Both of you, shut up.” Harry rolled his eyes. “He was doing his job, he’s a teacher. And you shouldn’t be starting fires in the school, he’s right.”

“You’re defending him?!” Hermione asked in outrage. “I was only trying to help. He’s the one who was acting all rude.”

“You’re the one acting all irresponsible!” Harry said, also outraged. 

She stared at him for a moment before huffing. “You know, he’s not the only one around here who’s rude. You are, too.” She raised an eyebrow.

“Ouch, Hermione. You’ve wounded me, greatly.” He touched his hand to his chest sarcastically.

“Alright, stop it at once!” Ron yelled, standing between them both. “I thought we were, y’know... friends now?” He mumbled.

“Me? Be friends with her?” He asked bitterly. “You may have changed your mind Ron, but I surely haven’t. You’re nothing but trouble, so stay away from me.” He growled at her, storming off. 

He ignored Ron’s shouts and headed straight for the tower where he collapsed onto his bed in their empty dorm, letting out angry tears. 

_‘Why can’t I control my temper? Why must I hurt people? Why must I make a fool of myself?’_ He thinks self deprecatingly, curling up on himself. _‘Was that even called for? Did she deserve that? I don’t know, anymore! I’m just so angry, always. I don’t know who I can trust.’_ He starts to sob into his pillow.

_‘I’m a freak. I’m a monster. I don’t deserve friends. I hate myself and my life.’_

These are his last thoughts before he passes out. 

* * *

Later on, once he’s calmed down, he goes to study in the common room where all the books are on the shelves. Ron sits with him but Hermione keeps her distance. Ron could tell he wasn’t up to talking about it, and being the good friend he is, didn’t pry.

Harry continued reading Quidditch Through the Ages, Ron giving him helpful advice which he really appreciated. Harry was feeling self conscious at this time but Ron assured him that they’d definitely win because of Harry’s talent. This made him smile.

Usually, he’d refuse to give Ron help on his homework, insisting he do it himself so he could learn something, but he just handed over all his notes that day with a grin and told him he could copy, just change it up so it’s not too obvious. It’s the least he could do for him. Ron thanked him and got started right away, going at lightening speed.

After a while, Ron let out a sigh. 

“What’s up?”

“I left one of my books in Snape’s class. It has all my notes in it.” He said with a frown.

“You take notes?” Harry raised his eyebrows. “I never would have thought.” He said in shock.

“Shut up, Harry.” Ron laughed at him. “It’s the stuff he told us to write down for different potions, remember? We all had to choose different ones we wanted to brew. You chose a boils curing potion and I chose a cold curing potion.” He sniffed slightly. “That’s why...” 

Harry just laughed at him. “Yeah, clearly.” He put down his book and stood up. “Come on, then.”

Ron looked at him, confused. “What?”

“We’ll go get your notes.” He smiled. “You’re probably too scared to go down there yourself, aren’t you?” He raised an eyebrow. Seeing Ron turn red, he nodded. “Yup, exactly. So being the amazing friend I am, I shall take you.”

Ron just smiled lightly and nodded, standing up and heading to the doorway with him, nervously picking at his fingers the whole way down to the dungeons and fidgeting with his scarf he had wrapped around his neck. Harry just eyed him, curiously.

“What? He could be a vampire and go for my neck.” Ron said, adjusting his scarf higher.

“Oh god, you don’t believe the stories, do you? He’s not a vampire!” Harry sighed. “He’s just pale and wears a lot of black.”

“And spends all his time in the dungeons, appears out of nowhere and talks and acts all spooky?” Ron whispered, as if he were going to jump out on them.

Harry just snorted. “Is that all you’ve got, Ron?”

“No. He works with potions. He could be brewing poisons, for all we know.” Ron said with wide eyes.

Harry just sighed. “I wish, then I could poison myself and be done with your idiotic rambling.”

“Hey!” Ron said, offended.

Harry just threw his hands up innocently. 

Eventually, they were outside his door and Harry gave it three hard knocks. Nothing. He sighed and knocked again. Nothing. 

“Well, it looks like nobody’s here, let’s just go. You can get it another time.” Harry said, beginning to walk away.

“Wait.” Ron whispered. “If he’s not here, we can just sneak in.” Harry’s eyes went wide and he shook his head. “It’ll take two seconds.”

“Ron, that’s violating his privacy.” He glared.

“So?” Ron shrugged. “I bet we can bust him for vampire stuff.” He joked. Harry just rolled his eyes, and watched from a distance as Ron pushed the door open. 

“Blasted thing. How on Earth are you meant to keep all eyes on three heads at once? It’s impossible!” Harry heard Snape snap out, angrily.

He then heard Ron whimper and inched closer when deafening silence lasted for far too long. He wishes he hadn’t gotten closer because he saw Professor Snape standing in the room with his trouser leg pulled up and suddenly the strong stench of _blood_ hit Harry’s nose. He had to take steps back until he hit the wall and clamped a hand over his nose, breathing through his mouth. 

He saw Filch tending to his wounds, trying to wrap bandages around him.

Ron was attempting to leave the room and close the door behind him but Snape had come out of his shock and snarled viciously at him.

“Weasley!” 

Ron just froze on the spot and whimpered again. Harry felt so bad for him but he hadn’t yet been seen as he was a small distance from the doorway. 

He felt bad, anybody else would have jumped in and defended him, grabbed him and told him to run, but something in the back of Harry’s head was telling him, _‘don’t move, don’t make a sound, this could get ugly if you interfere, for him and for you.’_

He immediately knew it was because of the blood. He knew he needed to control his breathing and maintain his self preservation. 

As Snape came out, he dropped his trouser leg but that didn’t do much for the smell. He got up in Ron’s face, who looked close to fainting.

“What are you doing here?” He asked bitterly.

“I-I just wanted to see if I could g-get my book back, s-sir...” Ron stuttered, giving Quirrell a run for his Galleons. 

“Your book?” Snape scoffed. “Well, it’s most likely gone. So, you should have thought about that before leaving your possessions here in the first place! It’s your loss if something happened to it. Now get out! Out!” He pointed to the hallway and watched as Ron shook, running off. 

Snape’s eyes widened though, when he saw Harry farther down the hallway, backed up against the wall and pinching his nose tightly, nails digging into his palm on his other hand, shaking slightly and gaze wandering down towards his bloodied leg. 

He gulped and slowly took a step back indoors, understanding what the problem was. Harry was grateful for that. He saw Snape calmly gesture to the end of the hallway, obviously telling him to go and Harry gulped, nodding before taking off with Ron. He heard the door slam behind him and suddenly, the smell vanished. 

Thank god...

“I take it you didn’t get your book back?” Harry asked after a minute of silence.

Ron scoffed when they got around the corner. “As if the old bat was ever going to give it back to me.” He spat. “Now what do I do?”

“Take more notes and make sure not to lose them, next time.” Harry shrugged as is if were obvious.

Ron just glared and sighed, knowing he was right. When they got back to the tower, Ron dragged Harry up to their dormitory and shut the door behind them. 

“Okay, this is big...” Ron was mumbling to himself, pacing back and forth. Harry just sat on his bed and watched him with raised eyebrows.

“Um, what is?”

“Didn’t you see his leg? It was all cut up and bleeding.” Ron said. 

“So...” Harry asked slowly.

“So! This means that Snape was trying to get past the three headed dog on Halloween.” Ron said with wide eyes.

Harry just stared at him for a minute before snorting.

“What?” He asked leaning forward, genuinely interested in where the bloody hell Ron was going with this story.

“Come on, Harry. Think about it!” Ron said, impatiently. “Remember we saw him heading in that direction. Well, he probably let that stupid troll in as a diversion to get to whatever that thing is guarding.” 

Harry just shook his head. “Ron, Professor Snape is a teacher and the staff trust him. He wouldn’t dare try and turn against the school.”

“But we saw him!” 

“Yes.” Harry raised an eyebrow. “That doesn’t mean he’s going to try and steal whatever is down there, which is still none of our concern. Maybe he was going to check on it, see if it was safe.” He shrugged. 

“Safe?” Ron asked bewildered. “I doubt that, how’d he get injured?” 

“Because the thing attack’s people who get too close. It tried to kill you and Hermione, but I’m good with animals so I stopped it.” Harry tried to placate him. 

Ron still looked unconvinced, shaking his head. “No, there’s something not right.” 

“Ron, what’s not right is us prying into things that don’t concern us. It’s the schools responsibility, I’ve said this before. Let’s just drop it.” Harry said firmly.

Ron just gaped at him. “How can you just lay there and let some teacher possibly commit a crime and get away with it, when there’s something we can do about it?” 

“Like this.” Harry said sarcastically and rolled over onto his side, so his back was facing Ron. “There’s no crime being committed, Professor Snape is innocent, I know this. He’s not a bloody vampire, of all things! And it’s none of our business.” Harry said, clearing things up. “Now, I’m going to sleep. Leave me in peace.” He said grumpily. 

Ron just stood there for a few seconds before storming out the room, slamming the door behind him. Harry’s ears perked up when he heard him mumble on the other side of the door as he walked away.

“Idiot, doesn’t care about danger, we could all die...”’

Harry rolled his eyes at his friend’s dramatic behaviour and got changed into his pyjamas, deciding to get some proper rest as he had to be full of energy tomorrow for his first quidditch game. 

* * *

Harry woke up early in the morning and saw McGonagall smiling at him from up at her table. She was clearly excited for today’s match and was silently cheering him on, he appreciated that.

He’d been told that seekers were always the ones to get bashed up the most by the other teams players as they were the ones who could evidently win the match due to catching the snitch, so he had to keep up his strength and eat a big breakfast. 

Wood patted him on the back and shoved a massive plate in his direction, piled high with sausages, eggs, beans, toast and bacon.

“Eat up, Potter. Trust me, you’ll need it. Who knows how long we’ll be out there, and the other team will certainly be savage.” He said with a grim face. “Plus it’ll be cold. You’ll need all the energy you can get.”

Harry just nodded and dug in, impressing everyone around him when he managed to eat most of it with ease. They probably thought he’d only eat nibbles considering his small size but clearly they were wrong.

_‘You don’t know what I can eat.’_ A sadistic voice in the back of his head spoke up. _‘I am a bloodthirsty werewolf, after all.’_

He shook his head of these thoughts when Ron patted him on the back. “Nicely done.” He laughed. “I wish I could eat as much as you.”

“Ronald, enough. You eat too much, already.” Percy snapped at him, making Harry grin and Ron blush.

“Shut up.” Ron hissed back to his brother, getting a glare in return.

By eleven o’clock, the whole school were out in the quidditch pitch and taking seats in huge stands that surrounded the pitch, rising up high. Some people had binoculars so they could see more clearly.

Ron had joined Neville, Dean and Seamus up in the top row. It seemed as if Hermione had tagged along too, probably because she didn’t have anybody else to sit with. 

Harry’s friends had done a surprise for him and gotten some sheets, painting ‘Potter For President’ on them and then a massive lion on it, too.

Inside the locker room, once they were all changed into their red uniform, Wood decided to make a speech.

“Okay, listen up men!”

“And woman.” Said chaser Angelina Johnson.

“And woman.” Wood nodded. "This is it.”

"The big one.” Said Fred.

"The one we've all been waiting for.” Said George. 

"We know Oliver's speech by heart.” Fred told Harry with a grin. “We were on the team last year.”

"Shut up, you two.” Wood glared at them. “This is the best team Gryffindor's had in years. We're going to win. I know it.” He said confidently. “Right. It's time. Good luck, all of you.” 

Harry walked out onto the pitch with his head held high and tried not to let any of his anxiety show. 

His ears were slightly ringing from all the cheers and screams he heard around him, he wanted to plug his fingers in them. But he just got on with it. After all, he knew they would only get louder when he won. That last thought brought a small smile to his face.

Madam Hooch was refereeing and was telling them she wanted a fair game from everyone. She seemed to look in the Slytherin Captain’s direction in particular. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry spotted the banner his friends made for him and smiled. He felt even more determined to succeed now.

Harry snapped back to attention when he heard Madam Hooch speak.

“Mount your brooms, please.”

Harry climbed onto his Nimbus Two Thousand. 

Madam Hooch gave a loud blast on her silver whistle and then suddenly, fifteen brooms rose up, high into the air. They were off. 

Lee Jordan’s voice rang out around the stadium through a speaker. He was the one doing the commentary for the match.

"And the quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor, what an excellent chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too-“ He was cut off by McGonagall.

"Jordan!"

"Sorry, Professor.”

"And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Alicia Spinnet, a good find of Oliver Wood's, last year only a reserve. Back to Johnson and... No, the Slytherins have taken the quaffle, Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint gains the quaffle and off he goes, Flint flying like an eagle up there, he's going to score! No, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor keeper Wood and the Gryffindors take the quaffle.

“That's chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, off up the field and- ouch! That must have hurt, hit in the back of the head by a bludger. Quaffle taken by the Slytherins. That's Adrian Pucey speeding off toward the goal posts, but he's blocked by a second bludger, sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which, nice play by the Gryffindor beater, anyway, and Johnson back in possession of the quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes. She's really flying, dodges a speeding bludger, the goal posts are ahead, come on, now, Angelina. Keeper Bletchley dives, misses. Gryffindors Score!"

Jordan finally stops rambling for a moment and takes a breath. Harry let’s out a small sigh of relief, it was getting a bit annoying. 

He hears all the Gryffindors in the stands cheer happily while all the Slytherins moan angrily. He looks closely and sees Malfoy’s face, he doesn’t look happy. Good.

Harry just started flying about up in the air for a while, glancing over all the other players and keeping a close eye out for any sign of the snitch. It wouldn’t be hard to miss for him, considering he has super senses, he’d easily be able to pick up something glittery from the other side of the pitch. This lycanthropy comes in useful, at times. 

He saw Hagrid sit with Ron after a while and smiled. It was nice to have his support. He thought he spotted the snitch at times but it was just the reflection off some people’s watches. He also had to dodge some bludgers which he hated doing. 

“Slytherin in possession.” Jordan was saying. "chaser Pucey ducks two bludgers, two Weasleys, and chaser Bell, and speeds toward the- wait a moment! Was that the snitch?" Harry was more alert now. He started looking around quickly.

Then he spotted it. He smiled and zoomed quickly after it, reaching out and almost grabbing it, but the Slytherin seeker thought it would be a fun idea to try and knock him off his broom. Harry clutched onto it for dear life, just saving himself from hitting the ground and killing himself. 

Everyone was in outrage, screaming how that was a foul and they were cheating. He couldn’t agree more. That was horrible, he nearly snapped his neck. He takes deep breaths as he’s sitting on the ground to control his breathing, doing everything he can not to rip into him right now with his _claws._ It wouldn’t do any good.

Harry eventually gets back on his broom and soars back into the sky, snitch gone from sight, sadly.

“So, after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating-“

"Jordan!" Growled Professor McGonagall. 

"I mean, after that open and revolting foul..."

"Jordan, I'm warning you-“

"All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure. So a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinner, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession.” 

He was glad people were on his side here, he’d be fuming it they weren’t. 

He’s looking out for the snitch again when suddenly a random bludger comes soaring straight at him. 

“What the-“ He gasps, ducking under it. 

Then suddenly, his broom started shaking like crazy. It was wobbling from side to side, as if he had no control of himself at all. He tried steadying it but no matter how hard he tried, it just shook harder. It then gave a violent lurch and he flipped right off it, hanging on by the handle with just his fingertips. 

Jordan was still doing his commentary and all of this was driving Harry mad.

“Slytherin in possession, Flint with the quaffle, passes Spinnet, passes Bell, hit hard in the face by a bludger, hope it broke his nose. Only joking, Professor. Slytherins score.”

He heard all the Slytherins cheer and everyone else groan but he couldn’t care less. He’s about to die and nobody is helping him. He’s hanging on by a thread now and he’s scared, his eyes are tearing up and he’s so far from the ground that if he falls, they’ll be no chance of survival.

Then, he looks out the corner of his eyes and sees something bizarre. What the bloody hell?

Professor Snape’s robes were on fire!

Just then his broom settled back down and he sighed in relief. He managed to steady it and he hops back on, going back down to a lower level where he feels more safe. He looks back over at where Snape is and he looks furious, Quirrell is also there and he’s shaking like mad and running away. Coward.

Then he looks about and spots Hermione running away from where Snape was sitting. Did she do that?! 

He suddenly spots the snitch again and dives forwards for it with new determination, going lower and lower until finally his fists clamps around it.

Ha lands back on the ground and suddenly his ears are filled with cheers and screams. 

He doesn’t even mind, only wincing a tiny bit. He caught it and people are praising him, that’s enough for him. Apparently they had won one hundred and seventy to sixty. 

His teammates come up to him and lift him up on their shoulders, making him laugh. 

He feels pretty happy.

Afterwards, Hagrid drags him off to his hut with Ron, saying he wants to make him some tea. For some bizarre reason, Hermione tags along, too. He can’t say anything about it because it’s Hagrid’s house but he still has some thoughts on the matter.

When they’re inside and the door is firmly shut, Ron blurts the most ridiculous thing out.

“Harry, it was Snape. He was the one jinxing your broom.” He said seriously.

“Thas rubbish.” Hagrid spoke up. “Why would he wan’ ter do somethin’ like that?” 

“Exactly! That’s what I keep telling you, Ron.” Harry sighed, frustrated. “Professor Snape isn’t up to anything mysterious. Your imagination runs wild sometimes.” He rolled his eyes.

“But we saw him!” He yelled, looking at Hermione, who nodded. 

“Yes, and I saw you setting his robes on fire!” He turned on her, making her shrink back. “How dare you, he could have been hurt. He was already injured.” He snapped.

“You mean ter say, you were the ones who set fire ter his robes? Everyone’s bin wonderin’ how it aw happened.” Hagrid said with a frown.

“Yes, it was her. Before I plummeted to my death, I saw her running away from him with her wand out.” He sighed.

“You were going to plummet to your death because of Snape.” She glared. “I had to do it because he was jinxing your broom, you should be thanking me.” She said raising an eyebrow.

“Excuse me?!” Harry asked in outrage. Before he got another word in, Hagrid interfered.

“Aw, come on now. Dun want ter be fightin’, do ya?” He said with a nervous smile. 

They both just glared at each other. 

Ron cleared his throat. “I found something else out about him.” He spoke to Hagrid, this time. “He tried to get past that three headed dog on Halloween. I think he’s trying to steal what it’s guarding, that’s why he’s all cut up, because it bit him.” Harry sighed while Hagrid’s eyes went wide.

“How der ye know abou’ Fluffy?” He asked with narrowed eyes.

“Fluffy?” Ron asked with wide eyes.

“Yeh, he’s mine. Bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las’ year. I leant him ter Dumbledore ter guard the-“ he suddenly stopped talking and looked away.

“Yes?” Ron insisted.

“Dun ask me anymore questions.” He said, still not looking. “Tha’s top secret, that is.” 

“But Snape’s trying to steal it.” Hermione butted in. 

“Oh god, you don’t believe in this rubbish too, do you?” Harry asked in disbelief. “I thought you were supposed to be smart.”

“I am smart!” She crossed her arms. “Which is why I’m thinking about this properly. It makes total sense.” 

“You’re not thinking logically.” Harry glared. “You’re trying to play detective. You’re taking such little evidence you have and mashing it all together to create a scenario that’ll make everyone turn against a teacher in this school and get him fired, just because you don’t like him very much.” Harry said with fire in his eyes but still remained calm. Exploding wouldn’t do any good.

Hagrid didn’t say anything but he had a look in his eye that was quite friendly, as if he were proud of him for taking his side and not turning against teachers. Especially, those teachers who’ve been nothing but kind to him and tried to help him.

Hermione just threw her hands up. “Why do you defend him so much?” 

“Because, he’s not as ‘evil’ as you lot think.” He said with sarcasm and quotation marks. “He’s actually a pretty decent teacher as long as you can prove you’re good in his class and aren’t going to muck about.” 

“But, I’m good in class!” She snapped. 

“Not good enough.” Harry muttered, but she clearly heard him because she glared at him. He grinned smugly.

Ron decided to try and get them back on track. “Hagrid, what do we do? I still think-“

“It’s all rubbish! Snape’s a Hogwarts teacher an’ he’d do nothin’ of the sort.” Hagrid said, shaking his head.

“So, why’d he try and kill Harry?” Ron threw his hands up. He ignored Harry’s glare.

“Hagrid, I know a jinx when I see one, I've read all about them! You've got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking at all, I saw him!" She also ignored Harry’s glare.

"I'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong!" Hagrid said hotly. "I don' know why Harry's broom acted like that, but Snape wouldn' try an' kill a student! Now, listen to me, both of yeh.” He pointed his finger at Hermione and Ron, leaving Harry out, knowing he wasn’t the problem here. “Yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. It's dangerous. You forget that dog, an' you forget what it's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicolas Flamel-“

"Aha!" Ron interrupted. “So there's someone called Nicolas Flamel involved, then?”

Harry rolled his eyes. 

Hagrid looked furious with both them and himself.

“Ron, let’s just go.” Harry said, opening the door and heading out, holding it open for him. He shared a smile with Hagrid as he left.

“But-“ 

“Ron!”

“Fine...” Ron sighed and reluctantly waved goodbye to Hagrid. Hermione went to come too, but when she reached the door, Harry grinned and let it go, hearing it smack her in the face. 

Ron looked at him with wide eyes and he looked innocently at him. “Oh my god, it slipped. Hermione, are you okay?” He pretend to care.

He heard sniffing and groaning coming from indoors and then she came outside with a visible bump on her forehead and tears in her eyes.

“I am _fine!"_ She spat at him and stormed off.

“Oh, that’s good. Just make sure to be more careful next time.” He yelled after her, holding in a snicker.

He saw Ron watching him out the corner of his eye and sighed. “What is it, Ron? Spit it out.”

“You let it hit her on purpose.” He spoke in a flat voice, as if he didn’t know what emotion to express.

“No, it was an accident.” 

“But, I saw you.” Ron said frowning. “You- you were holding the door and then- then you just... let it go.” He raised an eyebrow at him. “Why?”

“I nearly fell off a broom today, Ron. My fingertips are a little bit sore, that’s all.” He shrugged. “Plus, that door is massive and I’m tiny.”

Ron just frowned for a moment longer before nodding. “Fair enough. It didn’t look that bad anyway, I’m sure she’ll be fine. She won’t die or anything.

“She will.” Harry said, casually. When Ron’s eyes went wide, he clarified. “Be fine. She will be fine.” 

“Right.” Ron smiled and they continued on their way back up to the tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3


	8. Unhappy Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Christmas holidays have begun, starting to feel ill, and someone finding out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a little longer to write and it’s because so much has happened in it therefore it’s extra long.
> 
> It was actually supposed to be LONGER until I looked at the word count and thought NOPE, too much! My usual chapters are about 6k but this is 8k so I’m gonna break it up into two chapters :) 
> 
> There’s a surprise for you all at the end..... I actually didn’t even plan on ANY of that to happen until book three!! But I decided to add that little bit in on impulse because of where the conversation was going and c’mon, as if he wouldn’t pick it up *face palm* 
> 
> But he’s not going to take advantage of it at all or use it against him bc c’mon, Weasleys don’t do that. He’ll just be there for Harry to talk to if he needs it
> 
> Percy and Snape are two of my fav characters in hp, so if you’re wondering why I’m making them more likeable, that’s why lmfao. They’re still prats like in canon but they’re more mellowed out this time around, as you can see.
> 
> Also,’I’ve updated my tags AGAIN! How many times have I done this?? “Blood and Gore”, “Injury” and “Death” have all been added. Trust me, it’s necessary.
> 
> Harry is a grey-ish character, he’s gonna start getting up to some weird stuff soon ;)

Christmas was approaching and Harry wasn't too pleased. He'd dealt with his last full moon locked away in bed, blaming it on a cold. Ron must think he has terrible health, by now. Well, he's not wrong, in a way.

Harry was upset that during Christmas, he was going to be sick yet again. Why on these days? 

He sighed to himself every time he thought about it but still got on with it. He should have expected it, nothing good ever lasts. But he'll make sure to enjoy the day as much as he can before the inevitable nightfall comes and days of torture afterwards hit him awfully. 

At least, he should be feeling somewhat better by New Years, so he can spend it with his friends. That's a positive, right?

One morning in the middle of December, Harry woke up to see the outside of the castle completely covered in a thick layer of snow. 

The lake had frozen over and the top of the mountains were white. The Hogwarts courtyard was slippery and fluffy white, and it was lightly snowing. Everyone went outside to enjoy it, throwing snowballs at each other and even making ridiculous snowmen.

The Weasley twins got into trouble for bewitching snowballs to hit off the back of Professor Quirrell's turban whilst he ran screaming. 

Everyone was excited for the holidays to start, already fed up with classes. The Great Hall and Gryffindor common room had fireplaces to keep the students warm but the hallways were icy cold and people were wrapped up warm in scarfs and huddled together.

The worst part for most people were going down to the dungeons for Professor Snape's Potions classes. They all complained how there's no fireplace and because it's underneath the lake, they could see their breath and had to huddle as near to the cauldrons flame as they could.

Harry felt a little bit of pity for them. Earlier this summer, he would have agreed and been wrapped up, too. But since the attack, he's never felt the cold since. 

When Ron bewilderedly asked him why he's not shaking, he just tells him he's a warm person. Ron glares in jealousy. 

"I do feel so sorry for those people who are stuck at home for Christmas because they're not wanted at home." Harry heard Malfoy speak loudly from the other side of the room, glancing in his direction. Crabbe and Goyle laughed.

Harry glared at him. Malfoy had been constantly throwing insults his way, more than usual, since the Slytherins lost the Quidditch match. It had damaged him and his house pride, what a prat. How pathetic does a person have to be? 

Professor McGonagall had put up a list that asked for names of students who would be staying home for the holidays and Harry hadn't hesitated before signing his name. Besides, the Weasleys were staying, too. So, he'd be fine.

Harry was done with Malfoy's taunts, though, and decided to get back at him. He put down his ingredients he was chopping up on the table and turned a glare at him.

"And I feel sorry for those who have to bring other people down because of their obvious jealousy." He said with a sad frown. "So I kicked your arse in the Quiddich match, Malfoy. Get over it." Harry snapped.

He saw Professor Snape stand to attention when they started bickering at each other, getting prepared to break up a fight. He was so sure he was going to snap him in half for swearing in his class, but to his surprise, he just stayed silent and observed with narrowed eyes.

"Excuse me?!" Malfoy yelled, also putting down his ingredients. Everyone stopped to watch. "I am far from jealous, Potter." Malfoy spat. "In fact, I think you're jealous of me." Malfoy said cockily, standing up straighter. He heard some of the Slytherins snicker.

Harry raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Of what, Malfoy? Your arrogant attitude that gets you into trouble, your lack of self preservation skills that gets you caught in the middle of the night, your pathetic potion making skills, your childish behaviour that is laughable, your discriminating behaviour, your lack of ability to ride a broom properly, or simply just your trashy hair?" Harry smirked.

Every Gryffindor in the room burst into howls of laughter, doubling over and rubbing their eyes. They'd never seen Malfoy look so shocked before and they'd never heard someone get so owned like that before.

Ron was in hysterics beside him, wheezing.

Malfoy turned bright red, both from embarrassment and anger. All the Slytherins on the other side of the room looked like they wanted to murder him.

"How dare you!" Pansy screamed at him.

"What? You lot can dish it out but you can't take it." Harry said, matter of factly.

"Quite right." Professor Snape finally interjected. "Mr Malfoy, if you don't want to be made a fool of, don't try and make a fool of other people." He narrowed his eyes. Malfoy just gaped at him. "However..." he looked around the room and his eyes landed on Harry. "You also used profanity, Mr Potter." He raised an eyebrow.

"Yes." Harry said simply.

Professor Snape just sighed, looking done with the whole ordeal. "Five points from both of you. Continue your potions." He then walked back to his desk and went back to his work.

Harry looked over his potion and noticed that it was simmering quite nicely, he'd honestly strangle Malfoy if his disruptive behaviour ruined it. 

He smiled as he eventually finished up and bottled it into vials. When he handed it to Professor Snape, the man nodded in approval. 

"Excellent work as usual, Mr Potter. Five points to your house." He said, putting the potion away in a drawer.

Harry just smirked as he walked away. 

_'I think he deliberately gave me those five points so I could earn back what I lost. How nice.'_ He had a smile on his face as he eventually left the class, Ron trailing behind him. _'I really don't see what Ron's problem is with the man, he's a good guy. Ron's just stupid and paranoid.'_ He thought, sighing internally.

Ron's eyes were wide, once they were out in the hallway. "He just-"

"I know, Ronald." Harry sighed. "Gave me points." Harry looked at him with a smile. "That's what happens when you're a decent potioneer." 

Ron just huffed and didn't say anything else.

They continued walking until they saw a massive tree blocking their path. 

"What the bloody hell?" Ron swore.

Hagrid popped his head around the tree he was holding. "Alrigh' there, Ron?" He said with a smile, ignoring the language. "Good ter see you too, Harry."

"Um. Would you like a hand, Hagrid?" Ron asked, trying to be kind. 

"Nah, I'm alrigh', dun you worry yer little arms about it." Hagrid grinned at him. He then started dragging the massive tree through the hallways with ease, in the direction of the Great Hall

Suddenly, a cough came from behind them.

"Would you mind moving out the way?" Malfoy's voice snapped. "Looks like you're trying to earn some extra money, Weasley, by helping out the games keeper. Are you planning on taking his job when you leave school? Live in his little hut? I suppose you think that place is a palace considering where you actually live." He laughed.

Ron jumped forward and grabbed at Malfoy's robes before Harry could could even blink, attempting to slam him up against the wall. He was going to try and pry him off him but decided against it when he heard footsteps. 

This wasn't his fight, anyway. He'd just let Ron have his way with him, whilst he still could. It was quite amusing to see Malfoy get thrown around like a rag doll, too.

Then it all ended.

"Weasley! Malfoy!" It was Snape and he didn't sound happy. He came marching up the end of the hallway towards them with a fierce glare in his eyes.

Ron let go of Malfoy and took a step back, gulping. Malfoy just smirked.

"You're so dead." Malfoy whispered to them.

"What is going on here?" Snape glowered at all of them.

"He was provoked, Professor. He was insulting Ron's family. Weren't you?" He raised an eyebrow at Malfoy, as if expecting him to own up.

Malfoy played the victim, of course. "Me? Of course not! I would never." He said with wide eyes. "I was just walking along and then they start threatening me. Next thing I know, Weasley over here is jumping on me." He said dramatically, then got an evil glint in his eyes. "And then Scarface is cheering him on." 

Harry's breath caught in his throat. That was a _low blow._ He can take a lot of things, but insulting his appearance is a whole new level of wrong. If only he knew, pfft. He'd definitely make his life a whole lot worse. 

His nails dug into his palms and he felt the skin split, fingertips begin to trickle with small amounts of blood. He glared hatefully into Malfoy's eyes and did everything he could not to either tear into him right now or burst into tears. Either would be horrible. 

He focused on his breathing whist he distinctly heard voices.

"Mr Malfoy!" He heard Snape yell. "We will not use vulgar terms like that, ever!" He sounded furious. "I know you don't have the human decency to apologise and mean it, so I'm going to teach you the error of your ways. Detention, every day with me for a week. You'll be scrubbing the mess off the cauldrons. I hope your insult was worth it." 

Harry distinctly heard Malfoy scream in outrage and then Snape yell at him some more before Malfoy walked away. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Mr Potter, look at me." It was Snape's voice and he sounded a whole lot calmer than before. Harry was still focused on his breathing. 

_In and out. In and out. In and out._

"What's happening to him?" He heard Ron distantly speak up. 

"He's in a bit of shock, Mr Weasley. I can certainly imagine why, that was a horrid thing to hear." Snape sounded bitter, but not towards him, just the situation.

"Will he be okay?" Ron asked nervously.

"He'll be fine." Snape said. "He just needs to calm down." He felt himself being led somewhere, a gentle hand still on his shoulder, until there were bright lights and he recognised it as the hospital wing. There were voices and... Was that Madam Pomfrey?

He felt something being wiped onto his hand and a pressure there. Then he felt something cold getting pressed against his lips, tasted something weird and suddenly, everything was back in focus. 

He blinked several times before looking around himself.

He was in the middle of the infirmary, sitting on a bed, his bloodied hand bandaged, with Madam Pomfrey, Ron and Professor Snape all looking worried.

"Thank you, Poppy. I'm sure he'll be fine, now." He heard Snape say.

"You did the right thing, Severus, bringing him in. If you didn't, the poor boy could have had a serious panic attack. Who knows what could have caused this?" Madam Pomfrey spoke sadly.

"It has been dealt with, not to worry." He said seriously and she nodded, leaving the three of them alone. 

"Um, what happened?" Harry asked, slightly confused.

"You were like a zombie, mate. It was freaky." Ron said, biting his lip nervously. "Malfoy called you a name..." He caught Snape's glare and gulped, obviously him gesturing not to say it. "And, then it happened." 

"Right." Harry remembers, now. God, Malfoy is the definition of a bad person. He can't wait to get his revenge on him, he thinks smugly to himself. This is the perfect opportunity. 

"How are you feeling?" Snape asked from where he was standing near his bed. He still looked concerned.

"I'm better." Harry gave a slight smile and nod. "Thanks." 

Snape nodded back and rubbed his tired eyes. "Alright, then." He then looked at Harry seriously. "If you feel ill at all, make sure to take some medicine." He narrowed his eyes.

Harry was confused. He wasn't stupid, of course he would, why would he let himself suffer? He's not- oh. "Right, of course." Harry nodded. He meant the Wolfsbane, which he ought to start taking tonight. Perhaps that's why he's been so aggressive. "Will do."

Snape kept a firm gaze on him for a moment longer before nodding. "Let me escort you to the Great Hall."

Both boys followed after their teacher, smiling when they saw the Hall.

Mistletoe hung from above, massive trees were in the corners of the room and covered in decorations, hundreds of twinkling candles spread about and pretend snow falling from the ceiling. It was beautiful.

Harry and Ron went to sit down and eat lunch with everybody else but just as they got a few bites in, Hermione came up to them. 

"We need to go to the library."

"I'm all for education, but you're a little bit too keen, don't you think? Sit down and eat something before you faint." Harry raised an eyebrow at her. 

She just huffed and sat across from them. 

"But it's about, you-know-who." She whispered, leaning in closer.

Harry and Ron's eyes went wide.

"What on Earth are you talking about?" Harry asked, bewildered. 

She must have caught on because she shook her head. "No, not him. The other one." Seeing their confused looks, she sighed. "Nicolas Flamel." She whispered. 

Harry just rolled his eyes and continued eating. Ron, however, pushed his food away and leaned in closer to her, excited to hear what she had to say.

"What do you know about him?" 

"Well, still nothing yet." She said with a frown. "I must have been through hundreds of books by now, and I've searched through so many things in the library, but I just can't find anything about him." She sighed.

"Even I've been through books, and I never read." Ron mumbled. "How many have you been reading, Harry?" They both turned to look at him and he didn't bother lying.

"None." 

"What?" They both asked in unison. 

"What..." he asked slowly.

"All this time, all this effort." Hermione huffed. "And you've done nothing? Not contributed at all?"

"No, because there's nothing to contribute to."  
He shrugged. "I don't care who Nicolas Flamel is or what that dog is guarding. It's not my responsibility, I only care about my school work." 

"And you'll have no school work to do, if Snape gets to whatever the dog is guarding. Who knows what he'll do! He could set it on people." Hermione whispered furiously, throwing out random accusations.

"Okay, that's enough." Harry said, slamming down his fork. "Ron will vouch for me on this one, considering he was there when Professor Snape took care of me when I was ill earlier today. Isn't that right?" He raised his eyebrows at him. "And he gave me house points."

"Well, yeah..." Ron mumbled, scratching the back of his head, clearly conflicted on who's side to take. "But, I mean- he could have just been, y'know, acting like that because he wants us to believe him." He said, not making eye contact. 

"Are you for real?" Harry asked sharply.

"I don't know, okay!" Ron yelled, frustrated. "All of this is confusing. I still think there's something going on and I want to get to the bottom of it. I want to figure out who that Flamel guy is, I know I've read that name somewhere." 

Harry just scoffed.

"Okay, sure..." Harry grinned sarcastically. "You do that, Ron." He encouraged, not at all sincerely. 

Both of them just glared.

* * *

Once the holidays started and Hermione was heading home, Ron thankfully shut up about the whole Flamel business. 

Hermione had told them to continue searching for things over the holidays, but Harry proved to be a great distraction, constantly having snowball fights with him and staying up late, sneaking into the kitchens and eating all the food. 

They were the only two in their dormitory so it was pretty peaceful, Harry felt content. He also went over brilliant ideas on how to get Malfoy expelled from school, or at least, into serious trouble. 

Ron came up with some of his own that were laughable and would never work, but Harry appreciated the sentiment. Ron, however, thought some of Harry's ideas were quite morbid and eyed him a little warily.

Harry laughed it off and said he had a dark sense of humour, making Ron lighten up and laugh. Harry would then decide to flat out refuse telling him that he truly wanted to lure Malfoy to the top of the Astronomy Tower and throw him off it, considering his friend didn't see the appeal in it.

Harry decided to take up a hobby during the holidays. Whenever he'd get wound up or stressed, he'd get a sketchbook and some coloured pencils, as he preferred the muggle version for this, and just start drawing what was on his mind.

Frustrated at Hermione and her interfering ways? Draw her bushy hair on fire.

Annoyed at Malfoy for trying to humiliate him and tear him down? Draw him falling from a large building.

Irritated by Ron constantly nagging at him about how Snape's evil? Draw his mouth sewn shut.

It was things like this, that made him feel more at ease. He couldn't let anybody see this though. Some of the things were not too bad, but other things were quite graphic and if anyone saw, he'd most likely get some shocking looks.

He'd hidden the sketchbook in his wooden bedside table, inside a drawer where he'd created a false bottom to hide his Wolfsbane Potion. 

It had taken him a while to create that months ago, but he'd eventually managed to transfigure some pieces of paper into wood and change the shape and size of it to match the drawer, and created a latch in the shape of a regular quill to pick it up. 

That's why he enjoyed Transfiguration classes, it comes in useful in more ways than people expect. 

He'd only draw when Ron wasn't in the room, he didn't want him asking what he was doing or ask to see. Then he'd have to explain to him how he's scribbling down Crabbe and Goyle's heads both cracked open on the ground and goo pouring out like eggs. 

He wouldn't get the joke, he'd think he's just sick. But he's not, he's just creative. There's nothing wrong with that, at all.

When they were hanging out together, Ron would teach Harry wizard chess, which was exactly like muggle chess, except the pieces were alive and started killing each other during the game like they were in a battle. 

Now, that's sick. But also, creative.

* * *

For the past couple of days, he's been loaded up on his potions, but thankfully, he doesn't have any classes to skip. When Ron looks at him and notices him looking a whole lot more sluggish and tired, Harry says it's because he doesn't want to leave his warm and cozy bed, which Ron agrees with. 

When Harry starts sleeping in more, Ron doesn't question it, just assumes he wants to because it's the holidays. Harry is thankful for that, when in actuality, he literally can't get out of bed. It's a struggle. 

It's Christmas Eve and all Harry wants to do is lay inside, but Ron insists on spending some time together. 

"Come on, Harry! Just come out of bed and we'll go outside. Let's go see the lake, everyone who's here has been saying that you can actually skate on it. Want to try?" Ron asks in excitement.

Harry just sighs and slowly nods. "Alright, fine." Ron grins. "But just give me five minutes, please." 

"Sure." Ron runs from the dorm room and downstairs, leaving Harry to get ready. 

It's midday and just that morning, a house elf had popped into his dorm room with a red raw steak when Ron, luckily, wasn't around. Harry had scoffed it down and felt better for five minutes before collapsing again.

But, now he felt ill and was clutching his tummy. He would do this for Ron but that's all. He got up and ready, then headed outdoors with his friend, smiling at his antics as he blew out cold breaths of air and led him to the lake. 

Sure enough, it was completely frozen over and there were students running over it and attempting to skate with their slippery shoes. Some people were even sliding along on their butts, they all looked like a bunch of morons. 

Ron got a glint in his eye and ran forward, right onto the ice and skated across, hands out to steady himself.

"Whoa!" He laughed. "That is wicked!" 

"You look like an idiot." Harry told him.

Ron huffed. They childishly bickered for a while, Ron running back and forth while Harry just laughed at him, refusing to go on the ice in case it somehow cracked.

After a while, they headed back indoors and got some food to eat. Then, they spent the rest of the day in the common room. They sat by the fire and continued talking about quidditch, Ron telling Harry which teams are the best and how he should know all of this if he's going to be the best seeker in the school.

By the time nearly midnight came, Ron had stuffed his face so much on snacks, he passed right out as soon as his head hit the pillow. 

Harry had no such luck in falling asleep, though. He'd taken his potion and looked out the window. The sky was dark and the stars were twinkling, but only half the moon was out. Tomorrow, it would be full. 

He will be honest though, it is such a pretty sight to see. It's just too bad he can't witness any of it, not without crying and screaming.

His bones and muscles hurt and the aches in his stomach certainly didn't help. He sighed and got up, draping a blanket over his shoulders and made his way out the dorm and towards the common room exit. 

When he was outside, he quietly treads on his way towards the kitchens in the dungeons, clutching his growling stomach. He'd eaten dinner, he'd had some turkey and potatoes, and he'd pigged out on tons of snacks, but it still hurt. 

Plus, another elf came in again earlier, in the afternoon, when Ron wasn't about, and left a steak for him. He swallowed it down in three large bites.

But thinking of it now, his stomach _churns_. He wants that. 

When he reaches the kitchen, he opens it up and the elves aren't there. They must be sleeping off somewhere because the castle is huge, so they ought to have their own rooms. The kitchen is empty and there's tons of shelves and cupboards. 

Harry sniffs about until he comes across a familiar scent. It's a cupboard with a latch and when he pulls it open, it's cold inside, charmed to stay that way. Basically, the magical equivalent of a fridge.

And, inside there is meat. He spots some mince in a bowl and grabs it with his hands, uncaring of any cutlery at the moment. Nobody is watching, nobody will know. 

He sinks to the floor as he picks up chunks of meat and shoves it in his mouth, eating slowly as to not choke, but still making a mess, like a toddler would. 

He moans happily, the stomach cramps decreasing significantly, already. He feels his bones and muscles relax, no longer as if they're about to rip apart.

Blood drips from the mince, all down his hands and arms, but he just licks it all up, not letting any of the blood go to waste. Once he's done, he makes sure to lick his hands clean and leans forward, resting his head against his knees, suddenly tired and calm. 

That is, until he hears a throat clear and a slight gag noise. 

His ears perk up and he looks about, spotting Professor Snape, standing in the doorway, looking ghastly pale. 

Harry just stares at him for a moment before narrowing his eyes. He's still too groggy to stand up, right now. "What are you doing here?"

Snape just looks at the floor, not anywhere in his direction. If he did, he'd see Harry covered in stains of blood and remaining bits of meat that have stuck to his clothes. 

"I got an alert that you'd left your dormitory. I'd come to see if you were alright." He spoke in a calm voice. "I figured you may be in the infirmary but when you weren't, I decided to check here."

"So, you were the one who set up those funky ward things, Madam Pomfrey told me about?" Harry asked with a blood stained grin.

Snape nodded and glanced at him for a moment before wincing. "It is for your own protection, I'll have you know." He said, looking in another direction. 

"Protection?" Harry asked, confused. "Who could I possibly need protection from?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow. "It's people who need protection from me!" He scowled. "I'll have you know." He said sarcastically, back.

Snape looked him in the eye, finally, glaring. "Exactly! You feel like you're some sort of threat to people, as if you're going to hurt others." He spoke with a firm voice. "And that is what makes you vulnerable and need protection." 

"What?" Harry asked with wide eyes.

"You're supposed to be clever. Use that brain of yours, Harry." He scoffed. Harry's eyes went wide at the use of his name again. "Your lycanthropy can make you a threat to _yourself!”_ He snapped out. "Just look at your body when you come out of an episode, you're covered in self inflicted wounds. Need I explain more?" He said with a frown.

"But, I just get on with it..." Harry mumbled quietly. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me, I can handle it. I don't need a babysitter." He glared. "You don't need your wards on me."

"I'm not implying I'm your 'babysitter.'" He said sarcastically. "It is simply dangerous for you to be left alone, and that is why protections have been put in place. I thought you would have been aware of this before you came here." 

Harry shrugged. "I didn't know you meant something like that."

Snape sighed. "You're lucky you have friends. Just remember who you can and can't trust. It's important. You don't want to put your trust in the wrong person and have them betray you. It's an awful feeling." He spoke as if he had first hand experience in the matter.

_'Huh, sounds like something I've said to myself before.'_ Harry thought, in shock.

"I will..."

"Good. You don't want to go off into the wrong end, either. This thing..." Snape narrowed his eyes and leaned against the door, studying him. "It takes a hold of you, it latches on and changes people. Are you aware?" He raised an eyebrow.

Harry felt like he was trying to get at something here. "Aware of what?" He asked with a glare. "I'm perfectly fine, if that's what you're asking."

"Are you?" Snape snapped out. "Because, you killed a magical creature without any care in the world." 

"I do care!" Harry finally stood up and took steps closer, making Snape eye him warily. "I care that I didn't get killed that day. It was either me or the stupid troll." 

Snape sighed. "This is exactly what I mean. Magical creatures are usually supposed to connect with other magical creatures, they understand each other better than humans would. But... But you just-" 

"Killed it?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow. Snape nodded. "To be fair, I didn't mean to kill it." Harry shrugged. "It just sort of, I don't know, happened." He said.

"Just happened?" Harry nodded and Snape sighed, rubbing his tired eyes. "Alright then, it just happened." He went silent for a moment before eyeing him again. "And how did you know about Malfoy getting into trouble in the middle of the night?" 

_'Oh, what I blurted out to him during class.'_ Harry thought, regrettably.

He just raised an eyebrow, not saying anything. Although, a small grin was at the corner of his lips. Snape's eyes narrowed and then he let out a nod. 

He knew that he was there. Good. Harry won't rat out his friend or Hermione, though. He's not that kind of person, unless the time comes for it.

They just stared at each other for a moment, wondering if either had anything else to say, but they didn't. Eventually, Harry broke the silence and looked towards the door. 

"Will you move?" He asked plainly. 

Snape just sighed. "Since you're going through a difficult time right now, I'll ignore that blatant rudeness." He said with a glare, stepping aside.

"Uh-huh." Harry muttered, and walked out the kitchen. 

Snape followed behind him and when they turned a corner, he put a gentle hand on his shoulder. They were standing in a corridor where there was a large window and it let light from the sky in, but suddenly the moonlight shone in and hit Harry in the face, making his facial scars burn.

He winced and scratched gently at them, Snape pulling him out the moonlight and into the shadows. "Go straight to bed, Mr Potter. The moonlight isn't good for you, and you'll need your... beauty sleep." He said with a small grin.

Harry just stared at him for a second before grinning back, a little. "Wow, that's nice. I appreciate that, very much." He said, sarcastically.

"Hmm." 

They parted ways and when Harry eventually reached his bed, he did exactly what Ron did earlier and passed right out as soon as his head hit his pillow.

* * *

Harry woke up to bouncing on his bed. He groaned and pulled his pillow over his head. 

"Harry, wake up! It's Christmas, wake up!" Ron yelled happily from where he was jumping on top of Harry. "Hurry up, stop being lazy." He attempted to pull back his covers, too. 

Harry was tired and in pain but his friend was excited and he didn't want to ruin the look on his face because of his own misery, that wouldn't be fair. He tried his best to roll over and gave a weak smile. 

"Hey."

"Finally! Merry Christmas, Harry." He said happily.

Harry smiled back. "Merry Christmas, Ron."

Harry looked down at the end of his bed and his eyes widened. There was a pile of presents there. "What the-" 

"Well, let's open them!" Ron said, running to his own pile and ripping into them. 

Harry had never gotten real gifts before so he didn't know how to do this properly, but seeing Ron just tear the wrapping paper off his presents and throw it aside with a grin made him think that it wasn't any different than opening his broom package. 

He got to work, immediately.

He picked up the present that was sitting at the top of the pile. It was wrapped in thick brown paper and scrawled across said,

> _To Harry, from Hagrid_

Inside it was a roughly cut wooden flute. Hagrid had obviously made it himself. When Harry blew the whistle, it sounded a bit like an owl. He smiled at it, he appreciated the kind gesture from him. 

A second, very small present contained a note. 

__

> _We received your message and enclose your Christmas present. From Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia_

Taped to the note was a stupid fifty pence piece. 

"Wow. That's friendly." Harry said sarcastically to himself. "Not that I can buy anything with it."

Ron, however, was fascinated by the fifty pence. 

"Whoa, it's so weird!" He said with a grin. "What a different shape from galleons. Is this really money?"

"Yeah. You can keep it." Harry said, laughing at how pleased Ron was. He was also pleased to be rid of it.

"Thanks!" Ron said smiling.

Harry rolled his eyes and looked down at another present which appeared to be lumpy underneath all the wrapping paper. "Who do you think sent this?"

Ron turned bright red. "I think I know who that's from." When Harry raised an eyebrow, he sighed. "My mum. She knits Weasley jumpers with our initials on the front. Every year I get one with a big 'R' on the front." He scowled. Harry just grinned. 

He opened it up to find a green jumper inside with a big 'H' on the front and smiled. Ron might have been embarrassed but Harry loved it. It was a family tradition and he'd never had a family tradition to celebrate, considering he doesn't have any real family. The though makes him smile sadly, but he quickly covers it up.

He notices there's also a box of fudge inside the gift and he digs into it with a smile. "This is really good." 

"I'll pass the message along. She makes it herself." Ron grinned.

Harry and Ron continued to open more presents and Harry stops everything he's doing when he notices he's been sent a whole bunch of chocolate frogs by none other than Hermione. 

_’I don't know why she's bothering to send me things in the first place, considering I didn't send her anything, at all. And she sends me chocolate, of all things, when I made it specifically clear to everyone on day one of school that I hate chocolate and there was practically outrage!'_ He thinks bitterly to himself.

He sets it aside without even a glance.

There was only one present left and this one felt pretty light. He opened it up and something silvery and shiny slipped out of his hands and on to the floor. Ron's eyes went wide when he saw it.

"I've heard of those!" He gasped.

Harry bent down and picked it up, studying it with interest. "What is it? It feels soft." 

"It's an invisibility cloak." He said in awe. "I'm pretty sure, anyway."

Harry's eyes went wide and he looked down at the thing with raised eyebrows. Surely not... He stood up and draped the thing around his shoulders, casually. Ron dropped his box of Bertie Beans to the floor, scattering them everywhere and letting out a large yelp.

"Look!" He pointed to Harry's body. "Look down."

Harry was confused for a moment before he did as told and looked downwards. He gasped in shock. "Oh my god, my body's gone!" He said with a laugh. 

"Whoa..." Ron was looking at him in shock and Harry grinned, pulling the thing over his head until he vanished from sight completely. Ron let out another yelp. "Harry, where'd you go?"

"Boo!" Harry yelled in his face and laughed at his squeak, pulling the cloak off. Ron glared for a second before laughing, too. 

"Wait, a note fell out." He pointed to the floor where a piece of paper lay lying.

Harry picked it up and read it.

> _Your father left this in my possession before he died_
> 
> _It is time it was returned to you_
> 
> _Use it well_
> 
> _A Very Merry Christmas to you_

It didn't have a signature of any kind and Harry didn't recognise the handwriting. Curious. Who would send him this?

He felt a flutter in his belly, but not the bad kind that was coming today. It was something good. This belonged to his dad? This was technically a family heirloom, then. He felt proud to have it in his hands, he wanted to cherish it forever. Keep it safe.

Suddenly, the Weasley twins came barging through the doors and started causing trouble like usual. Harry decided to hide the cloak under his blanket. He didn't want them to see it, he wanted to keep it a private matter for now. This was a family thing and he hopes Ron won't bring it up again.

"Merry Christmas!" They both yelled out.

"Hey look!" Fred said.

"Ickle Harry has a Weasley jumper too." George said.

"Just like us." Said Fred.

They were both wearing jumpers with their own initials 'F' and 'G' on them, too.

"And why isn't Ronniekins wearing his Weasley jumper?" George asked.

"Come on, put it on. They're lovely and warm." Fred nodded.

"I hate the colour." Ron moaned, unhappily.

Just then, Percy decided to stick his head in the door. "What's the racket?"

"Oh, looks like perfect Percy got a Weasley jumper, too!" Fred grinned.

"Look, 'P' for Prefect." George grinned, pointing at the jumper he was carrying. They grabbed him and shoved the jumper over his head, dragging him out the room as he screamed at them.

Harry just watched bewildered. 

_'Is this what it's like to have siblings? I'll never know.'_ He thought sadly to himself. Wow, today is supposed to be about happiness and he sure is filled with a lot of depressing thoughts. 

Damn these emotional werewolf things!

Harry spent his day in his dorm, in pain and weepy. He had just told Ron he wanted to be alone for the day. When Ron got grumpy with him and asked him why, he said it's because he felt overwhelmed considering this was his first Christmas away from home and he doesn't have any other family to be with. He just needed time alone to process it all. 

Ron didn't necessarily understand it all, but Percy, being older and more mature, seemed to understand in a way, dragging Ron into the common room to stay, telling him that Harry needed his space and he could play wizard chess with his brothers.

Whether Percy could tell he was apparently telling the truth and felt pity for him, or could tell he was actually lying and just wanted to be alone, Harry honestly didn't care. He was just thankful for the guy taking his side. 

An elf came into his room a few times a day to give him some raw steaks and mince which Harry scoffed down, and he chugged back so much water along with it. He was getting seriously overheated. He went into a freezing cold shower and let out angry tears. 

_'This isn't how Christmas is supposed to be, I thought it'd be different for me here!'_ He though bitterly to himself.

When he finally got out the shower, he noticed a bird sitting on his windowsill, cooing at him. He let it in and gave it a pat which it seemed to like. He took the package which was tied to its ankle and it flew off.

He opened it up and inside were a pair of very decent looking, black, leather gloves. There was also a note which had very familiar handwriting. It was Professor Snape's. 

__

> _I didn't want to give you these whilst you were probably bombarded with a screaming Weasley so early in the morning. I also figured, considering the timing, now would be the perfect opportunity_
> 
> _These are dragonhide gloves, they're very good quality. Almost nothing can tear them or scratch them. Obviously, as they're made of dragon skin, which is very strong and almost completely magical resistant_
> 
> _I felt you might enjoy these, and they will definitely come in very useful. I'm sure it's not very pleasant waking up covered in scratches and having to pretend you own a viscous cat or went through a blender, so I suggest you wear these during the night_
> 
> _I also think it would be a good idea to keep them on you, in your pocket, at all times, just in case you feel the need to harm yourself. They'll help. It surely can't feel pleasant piercing into your palms, either_
> 
> _They'll magically adjust to fit the size of your hands, once you put them on_
> 
> _Just a thought. Your choice_
> 
> _**Professor Severus Snape**_

Harry raised his eyebrows once he was done with the letter. Yet again, Snape had managed to sound both kind and rude in the same letter. And grant him a gift. How on Earth does he do it? The man is a mystery. 

Harry then looks at the gloves and grins. He sits down the letter and puts on the gloves. They're a bit big at first but then he feels his hands tingling and suddenly they shrink slightly until they're a perfect fit. 

He wiggles his hands and they feel comfortable. He then experiments with them. He tries scratching at himself, digging his nails into his arm hard, but nothing happens. If he weren't wearing the gloves, red bloodied lines would be left behind, but instead, it's just nothing. 

They work! He'll definitely be keeping these.

He gets out a quill and some paper then writes back.

__

> _Thank you, this means a lot and really helped_
> 
> _They fit perfectly!_
> 
> _See what I did there? If you didn't, you need glasses_
> 
> _**Harry James Potter**_

Yeah, Snape's not the only one who can be sassy in a letter.

When it was time for dinner, Harry followed a bouncing Ron to the Great Hall with his overactive siblings all talking about... something or another. 

He honestly couldn't tell what. Harry is just so tired, by this point. 

He dug his nails into his palms to calm himself but was pleased to know there'd be no blood, as his hands were now protected by his new gloves.

He'll quickly go through dinner and then make a quick exit for his dorm where he'll need to chug back that vile potion of his and suffer the night away. Merry Christmas to him, indeed.

When he's in the Great Hall, the Weasleys run up to a table and just start dumping food onto their plates. Turkey, boiled potatoes, gravy, peas, cranberry sauce, and Yorkshire puddings. There's also a bunch of Christmas crackers laying about. 

They all start pulling at them and instead of the muggle cracking noises it makes, it let's out a loud explosion with bright blue flames. This makes Harry's ears ring and he holds back a wince as he sits next to Ron.

He looks up at the High Table and sees Dumbledore wearing a fancy Christmas hat and laughing at a joke Flitwick told him.

Hagrid was drinking something from a goblet and gave McGonagall a kiss on the cheek, making her blush.

Trelawny was staring off into the distance and mumbling to herself, dipping her hands into her potatoes and squashing them up, muttering how it's best left mushed. 

Quirrell was shifting in his seat and he looked deeply unsettled, keeping his head down and refusing to meet anyone's eyes. 

Snape was glancing is Harry's direction and narrowing his eyes at him. Not out of anger, but out of concern. He was keeping a close eye on him, obviously. 

Harry appreciated the gesture, it was a comfort to know someone cared about him, but it was a little uncomfortable to know someone constantly had their eyes on you whilst you were trying to eat. He understood, though. If it were Ron in his situation, he'd never let him out of his sight for a second, far too worried about him.

Eventually, deserts came around and Harry was thankful. This meant he could quickly finish up and head off to bed, making it seem like he just overate and got sleepy. He gagged when Ron dug into a chocolate cake and slowly picked at his own jelly and ice cream, without an appetite.

Harry pushed it aside with a sigh, and clutched his sore eyes, digging his gloved nails into them. 

"You alright, mate?" Fred asked, around a mouthful of pumpkin pie.

Harry just smiled at him. "Just tired."

"Well, buck up." George said. "After this, we're all going outside to have a snowball fight!" He said with a grin.

"Yes, I'm so going to tackle your arse." Ron laughed. "You'll be shivering like Quirrell." 

They all joked, but Harry wasn't feeling it. "Nah, you guys go on. I'm really tired." He mumbled and faked a yawn. "See? Plus, I just don't feel too great." He sighed, rubbing his tummy.

"Again?" Ron said, bewildered. Harry raised an eyebrow. "You're always getting sick, mate. You sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine." Harry nodded, with a tight smile. "Must just be because I live with the muggles, I'm prone to catching colds and stuff." He bluffed.

"Maybe." Ron said, sympathetically. "Because ever since you've came here, you've gotten sick so many times. You got sick in September and scared the bloody hell out of me with all the screaming and breaking things." He said with wide eyes. 

“Sorry about that.” Harry muttered.

“Not your fault.” Ron smiled. “Then you got sick again near Halloween. And then, at the end of November. And now on Christmas, of all times!” Ron sighed, clearly frustrated for him. “What’s up with that?” 

Ron and the twins were giving him sad looks, wondering the same thing. They must pity the poor, sick, little muggle boy.

Percy, however, was eyeing him strangely. He’d put down his spoon and kept a firm eye on him, looking him up and down the more Ron spoke, as if trying to decipher something about him.

_‘Oh god, you’re the clever and mature one of the family. Please don’t figure it out because Ron couldn’t keep his bloody trap shut. Please remain oblivious. Just forget he said anything!’_ Harry was silently begging inside his own head, hoping, somehow, he’d understand his dilemma and let it go. _‘Or, if you somehow do figure it out, please don’t mention it here...’_ He’d hope for that, at least.

He let out a sigh of relief when Percy finally looked away and went back to eating, although Harry still kept a wary on him. He didn’t know if he knew anything or not. The guy is actually pretty smart. 

Plus, he’d have already studied werewolves in his Defence classes two years ago and taken exams on them, most likely passing. He’d know what to look out for. Oh god. He’s going to kill Ron. 

Percy didn’t show any outwards signs of fear or being uncomfortable, though. He acted as if everything was normal. Maybe he doesn’t know, after all. 

“If he’s tired and feeling ill, let him get some rest, Ron.” He said, seriously. “Don’t try and keep someone awake and drag them outside in the cold for your own amusement.” He turned and looked to Harry with a smile. “Go on, Harry. Get straight to bed.” 

Harry just decided to go along with it, acting normal, too. He nodded and stood up slowly, as to not get dizzy, and smiled at Ron. “Night,  
Ron.” 

“You too, Harry.” He smiled back. 

When Harry began to walk away, he heard one last voice speak up behind him. 

“Harry, if you’re feeling ill at all, just make sure to take some medicine. I _guarantee_ it’ll help.” Percy spoke with certainty, looking Harry deep in the eyes and raising his eyebrows. 

Harry just stared for a moment in silence, before it clicked. Crap. He does know. 

_’Just my luck, nothing good ever lasts. Now, he’s going to probably spread the news to everybody in the school and I’m going to be disowned by everyone.’_ He starts shaking, slightly. 

“W-what?” He gasps out.

Percy seems to notice his fear. His demeanour changes and he smiles at him, getting up and walking towards him. He puts a gentle hand on his shoulder and leans down to speak quietly. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell. Pinky swear.” He holds out his pinky and Harry stares for a moment before shaking it loosely with his own. “After all, its not my secret to tell.”

“But- I- why?” Harry stutters out. “Shouldn’t you be scared of me?”

“My older brother Charlie works with wild dragons and constantly tells us horror stories about people getting burned.” He cringes. “He’s also covered in a whole bunch of his own burn scars, all from head to toe. Nothing to do with magical creatures freaks me out very much, anymore.” He grins. 

Harry takes his time to process this for a minute before sighing and nodding. “Okay.”

Percy pats him on the shoulder and gestures to the doorway, telling him to get to bed, again. Harry quickly takes off, distinctly hearing Percy tell his brothers that he was giving him information on how to get to the infirmary and to see Madam Pomfrey if he still feels ill by the morning, as it’s his job as a Prefect. 

Harry smiles as he hears all his brothers tear into him about being Percy the Perfect Prefect. He took a bullet for him, that was nice. He’ll have to remember to thank him, one day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3


	9. Dark Books

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Recovering from an episode, a mirror that shows desires and some very interesting Dark books.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry about the wait but trust me, its worth it! It took three days to write this because I had to come up with so many original ideas for this, write down proper descriptions and try to sound legit but I think I pulled it off! 
> 
> I was also at the hospital today so that held me back a bit too but I’m all good, don’t fret. SO YAY! we’re back in business. 
> 
> This is by far my FAVOURITE CHAPTER I’ve written so far! :D 
> 
> I told you all Harry would be getting up to funky stuff soon and I wasn’t kidding lol. He’s gonna be meggggaaaaa powerful

As soon as Harry is safely in his dorm room, he gets out his final vial of Wolfsbane Potion and chugs it back with a grimace. He thought after all these months, he'd finally start to get used to the taste, but he was wrong. 

He lays back on his bed after he makes sure the windows and curtains are shut tight. He closes his eyes and speaks words of encouragement to himself. 

_'I can do this, I'm going to be fine. I'll pull through, I always do. I'm strong, I'm not weak.'_ He tells himself fiercely, willing himself to believe it. 

He gets out his sketchbook and just draws what he feels, he's not the best artists but he doesn't care.

He draws a tall hill and in the far away distance is the castle. Above, in the dark sky, is a bright white moon with sparkly stars. And standing on the hill, completely void of anything else, is a lone wolf. It's facial expression is sad and it's tail is tucked between it's legs in fear. 

It's obviously scared, it doesn't like what's going on, it doesn't want to be here on this hill, it must want to go back to its human form like normal, it must not want to be in this monster state right now. It looks scared to be outside, underneath the moonlight. 

Harry feels pity for the wolf he's drawn, and then he suddenly feels pity for himself. Because, he knows deep down, the wolf he's drawn is a metaphor for himself. 

He hates being in his wolf state, it's agony and it's terrifying. He can't remember what happens and if he'll kill anyone. He hates being outdoors at night due to a chronic fear, now. And during his monthly cycles, despite taking the potions, it still hurts and he wakes up feeling awful, that'll last for days.

Angry tears well up in his eyes and then drip onto the page. They ironically enough land right over the wolf's face, therefore it looks like it's crying. 

And, sure enough, the wolf is. But, it's crying from a bed in a dormitory, instead of a hill outdoors. How sad. 

* * *

It was late and Ron had come in to the dormitory freezing cold from being outdoors for so long with his brothers. His lips were an interesting colour contrast with his hair, blue and orange. 

Harry shivered slightly from the cold he brought in with him. Thankfully, Ron jumped into a hot shower before getting into bed. He saw Harry laying back and staring up at the ceiling, a frown on his face.

"Mate, you okay?" He asked while getting tucked into bed.

"Yeah." Harry said quietly, focusing on the ceiling and his breaths. He couldn't fall asleep like Ron could. He'd be awake all night, like usual. He was envious during these times. 

"Your eyes are kinda puffy." Ron said, confused.

"Hmm." Harry nodded. He'd been crying for a while, after he'd done his little drawing. Some small tears had eventually led to a full on breakdown for about an hour, and now he was dried out like a raisin. "Just tired." 

"Oh, okay. Get some sleep, then." Ron smiled at him, as if it were that easy. Harry just nodded. "Good night." He rolled over and started snoring, immediately.

Harry sighed. Why couldn't he do that? 

It would be a couple more hours before the moon came out from behind all the clouds so he had some time to just, regretfully and painfully, wait for it.

He didn't want to sit here and do nothing, he wanted to get out the room. His anger was flaring up. He was getting angry. Why does the universe have it out for him? It's not fair! 

_'Why me?!'_ He thinks with a scowl.

He suddenly shot up out of bed and took several deep breaths, looking over to where Ron was and gulped. He couldn't start throwing things, he'd wake him up and scare him. Harry doesn't want to be a bad friend. He clenches his still gloved hands and looks around himself for something, anything! 

Then, he spots it. The Invisibility Cloak that was still lying underneath his blankets. He grinned and picked it up, pulling it over his head and heading out the tower. 

This thing would come in handy, because if he's invisible, that means nobody could see him, especially Filch. His stupid cat might sniff him out but she wouldn't see him, so he'd be fine. And no teachers or students would notice him, either. It's so much better than the charm he's been using.

He'll probably be able to sneak into the Restricted Section of the library, too. They have all kinds of books in there that are too dangerous for young eyes. It's the sort of stuff that upper years who are taking the advanced Defense classes study. 

Harry would really like to get his hands on a book like that. Especially, since Professor Quirrell teaches them nothing. 

Harry just wanders about, careful not to go near any windows where moonlight could get through. He's just excited to be out the cramped dorm.

He decides to head in the direction of the library, sticking his head in the door and walking in quietly. The librarian isn't around so that's a good thing for him. 

He lights up a lamp and walks with it in the eerie dark. The whole scenario is kind of spooky and it makes him grin.

There's a rope that separates the regular books from the Restricted books and he jumps over it, holding the lamp over the shelves to read the titles. 

A lot of the books didn't appeal to him. They were very worn out, the engravings were peeling and crusty and clearly very old. Some books were in different languages he didn't understand and some suspiciously, had no titles at all. 

One book even had a mysterious red stain on it that looked like blood. Harry got a little closer and gave it a sniff, it smelled a little metallic. Yeah, definitely dried up blood. 

His ears perked up when he heard whispering and realised it was coming from some of the books. He decided not to go near those. Who knew what they'd say to him? He didn't want to get insulted by a book and then have a screaming match with one by insulting it back. 

He glanced around and spotted a book with an interesting cover. It read _A Beginners Guide: The Mind Arts._

Huh, that's interesting. You could do magic with your mind? Harry grinned and opened it up, giving it a read. It talked about similar forms of magic called Occlumency and Legillemency. The only difference was, Occlumency would block people from reading your mind whilst Legillemency would allow you to read people's minds. 

Apparently, it could be incredibly difficult to master, especially if you do it alone, but if you practice enough and have the determination to succeed, anything can be possible. Children could learn it too, but they'd usually have to be pretty clever and powerful. Also, they'd have to put in immense amounts of time and effort. 

_'Wow, I definitely want to learn these both!'_ Harry grinned to himself. _'And I will master it, I'm not weak, at all. I'm powerful like the book says.'_ He tells himself fiercely. 

He remembered a Shrinking Charm he'd read about a couple of months ago and cast it on the book, making it small enough to fit into his trouser pocket. He then looked around at some more books with interest. 

His eyes went wide when he saw the title of this one. _Dark And Deadly Curses._

He slowly picked it up and opened the pages carefully. He didn't know what to expect, really.

Inside, it was pretty basic, much to his disbelief. The book was thick and the pages were worn, obviously it had been in use plenty of times. But, by who? He's not even going to think about that answer.

He thought there'd be warning signs all over it and it'd explode in his face. When none of that happened, he continued to read.

It was just a regular book that listed a whole bunch of questionable spells that, apparently, weren't illegal by the Ministry, but just _very_ frowned upon. 

Harry snorted at that. 

He looked through some of them and his eyes widened. There was Blood Boiling Curses, Skin Peeling Curses, Bone Breaking Curses, Eye Burning Curses, Skin Melting Curses, and a whole bunch of other disturbing things that would make the faint of heart queasy. 

_‘How can this simply be frowned upon, but people who use the Killing Curse go to wizard prison? Surely, the latter is a lot more kinder than anything from this book.'_ He thought confused. 

He shrugged it off and shrunk it down, putting it away in his pocket with the other book.

 _'I suppose, this means I could cast the Hair Burning Curse, for example, at Malfoy and I won't get sent to wizard prison? Nice.'_ He shook his head, laughing. The prat would deserve it, to have all his pretty blonde hair lit up in flames until he's completely bald.

He searches around one last time and picks up a silver book, which feels quite heavy. He regrets it instantly, because it starts screaming at him when he opens it up. He closes it quickly, but it still screeches at the top of it's lungs, if it had any.

He dropped his lamp in shock and the light went out. Oh dear.

He hears footsteps approaching and lets out a swear word that would have his mother washing his mouth out with soap, if she were still here. 

He drapes the cloak back over his head just as Filch enters the library and he sneaks right past him. His stupid cat is right there with him and he smirks, taking the perfect opportunity to tread on her tail. She lets out a pained hiss.

"What is it, my sweet?" Filch asks her. "I know someone is here. Let's go sniff them out." 

Harry rolls his eyes and walks away.

He wanders about, uncaring of where he's going, trying to avoid windows from above, when he walks past an empty classroom. Something about it draws him in. He looks inside and there's nothing there except a large mirror standing in the middle of the room. How strange. Do girls come here to model or something?

He walks up to it and frowns. There are big gold letters engraved on the top of it.

 _Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi_.

Harry doesn't know what it means, it looks like some kind of foreign language. He steps close to the mirror and sees his reflection, checking his awful scars in the mirror. He really should go to bed now, his muscles are beginning to ache and the scars are standing out a bright red.

Just as he was about to turn and walk away, something else popped up in the mirror. A woman with long red hair and green eyes just like his stood right next to him. He gasped and looked behind himself but nobody was there. Then a man appeared next to the lady, wearing glasses and had messy black hair like Harry's. 

Nobody else was in the room, except Harry, though. They were both smiling down at him and they had placed their hands on his shoulders comfortingly but he couldn't feel it. He looked into their eyes and somehow he just knew.

"Mum?" He asked quietly, looking at the lady who nodded. "Dad?" The man nodded, too. They both had tears down their face, whether from sadness or joy, Harry couldn't tell. 

He felt his own eyes well up and pressed up against the glass, as if trying to climb through and be with them. He doesn't know how long he's stood there for, only that his legs had started to ache terribly and his stomach was cramping. 

"I'll be back." He promised his parents in the mirror.

He breathed roughly through his mouth, taking steady breaths, putting the cloak over his head and heading quickly back to the tower, making sure to stay as quiet as he can. 

When he reaches his dorm again, he collapses straight onto his bed with a whimper and hides his cloak under his bed. He pulls out the books from his pockets and puts them back to their regular size, hiding them in the false bottom he made in his beside drawer, where his sketchbook is.

He manages to lift himself up enough to sneak a peak behind his window curtains and he sees the full moon high in the sky, finally. 

The rays hit his face and make him wince. He shuts the curtains to the window and dives back into his bed, closing the thick curtains that surround his bed and using a Sticking Charm and Silencing Charm he learned about an while ago on them. 

Then, he just lets it all out. Ron won't be able to hear him because of the charm he placed, so he can yell all he wants without scaring the living daylights out of his best friend like he did before. 

He writhes in bed the whole night, kicks and screams, cries and attempts to scratch at himself in anger but is stopped by the gloves that have definitely came in useful. 

By the time morning comes around and he has eventually passed out, it seems as if Ron knows better than to attempt to wake him when he says he feels ill, because he always leaves him alone. He's a good pal, like that.

Harry eventually comes back around to consciousness at around lunch time, groaning heavily into his pillow and cringing at the awful smell of blood in the room. 

He lifts his head up and looks around. He may not have scratched himself but he still managed to make himself bleed as he's bitten right through his own tongue. It stings and the taste is horrible. He's also manages to bite into his arms, leaving nasty teeth marks. That's great. 

He slowly drags his body out of bed and into a cold shower, slouching on the floor and letting any dried blood that he's spat out over himself and is stuck to his arms rinse away down the drain. He has to be super careful when brushing his teeth, too. 

_'How on Earth am I supposed to eat?'_ He scoffs. He'll just have to survive on liquids. It's such a perfect excuse, too. Have a stomach bug? Drink plenty of water and soup. He feels so pathetic.

The Wolfsbane Potion he's been taking this past half a year has definitely helped improve his symptoms, though. That's most obvious to him. 

He's not as aggressive as he usual was in the beginning, his appetite for meat is still there but has significantly decreased so it's more like a craving when needed, he's able to handle the pain a whole lot better considering he knows what to expect and the potion manages to placate him a little during those moments, and he has much more energy to get up in the afternoons, rather than just stay in bed and cry like he used to. 

It's not perfect and it never will be, but it's something better and that's good.

When he's finally in the Great Hall and sees Ron and his brothers there, he tries his best to maintain a smile as he walks over and sits next to Ron. Everything seems bright and loud but he's used to that. 

He just keeps his head down low and pulls his long, messy black hair over his face to hide his tiredness and still painful scars. He's also wearing a slightly large hoodie and pulls the hood up, keeping his gloves on as protective wear and playing with his sleeves.

He looks like a depressed, muggle goth kid, who probably listens to rock music. Maybe he should take this up as a style, it'll certainly fit his mood. 

"Feeling better, Harry?" Percy bloody Weasley speaks up.

Harry looks up and locks eyes with him for a moment. He doesn't say anything for a few seconds, just nods. 

"For now." He says quietly.

Percy hums in thought. "Well, perhaps you should eat. Chicken soup sound good?" Harry's stomach lets out a rumble and he sighs in obvious embarrassment. Ron and the twins laugh whilst Harry ducks his head. He knows none of them mean anything by it, they probably just think he's hungry because he skipped breakfast.

But since Harry knows of the situation, it's humiliating. And now since Percy knows, it's mortifying.

Percy doesn't pay it any mind though, thank god. He just pushes some food his way and goes back to munching on his own lunch.

Harry eats slowly but his mind starts drifting towards last night. The memory of that mirror stands out. He saw his parents in it, he wants to go back and see them again. He'll be feeling a whole lot better by tonight, anyway. 

He makes a mental note to go back when Ron is asleep. He remembers the route, he'll just have to make sure Filch and Mrs Norris don't catch him or he's dead.

When they're all done eating and he's feeling slightly better, Ron attempts to drag him back off to the tower but is stopped by a curious looking Snape in the hallways.

"Mr Potter... and Mr Weasley." He says with a raised eyebrow. "Off somewhere?" 

"Heading back to the common room, sir." Harry says simply. 

"Hmm, best hurry up. You don't want to catch another cold and get _sick_ , do you?" He asks, looking at Harry only. It seems as if Ron is thankful because he doesn't shake as much when the attention is drawn away from him.

Harry knows where Snape is going with this. He doesn't want him out of bed for too long because he needs his rest after last nights events. Harry's glad they share the same thought process. He just nods.

"Of course not, sir." 

"Hmm." Snape steps aside and Harry walks off with Ron following him quickly. They're silent for a few minutes until Ron bursts out.

"Mate, I don't know how you do it." He says with wide eyes. "He scares the bloody hell out of me, how do you act so brave?" 

Harry just grins. "I'm a Gryffindor for a reason." That's always the perfect excuse. 

Ron nods and says nothing more. When they reach the common room, they decide on playing wizards chess for a while, Ron whining like a baby when Harry actually manages to kick his butt a few times.

They spend their afternoon in the tower, huddled near the warm fire, Ron playing Exploding Snap with the twins and Harry retreats to his dorm to get out the books he stole yesterday from the Restricted Section.

He makes sure the door is locked and his bed curtains are stuck closed before opening them. 

He opens the one about Mind magic and gives it a quick read. 

****

**A Beginners Guide: The Mind Arts**

The Mind Arts are some of the most powerful and dangerous forms of magic a wizard or witch can perform

There is a strong ability a person may have that defends ones mind from attacks if other's try to enter them. This is an ability called Occlumency

There is also a counter ability to the one above. This is the power to enter another's mind with ease and read their every thought. This is called Legillemency

Despite the fact that neither are illegal, both are seen as Dark gifts to posses and often have a bad reputation, as people assume a Legillemens would take advantage of their gift against their enemies, using their secrets against them and against their will

People are often sceptical about taking an Occlumens' words as truth, as to become an Occlumens, you have to clear you mind of any thought and create mental shields, therefore making them brilliant liars

Some people are born with either ability and it will show early in life, around the time when accidental magic occurs

It is easy to tell when a child is born as a Legillemens as they may use their accidental magic to slip inside a person's head, usually a mother or father

It is also easy to tell if a child is born an Occlumens if someone tries to use Legillemency on them and they cannot see anything inside their head, obviously being blocked by their mental shields

However, you don't have to be born with the ability to have the ability. You can learn it on your own, later in life

It is best to have some help as it makes the whole process go a lot easier and quicker, but if you're determined enough and put in enough time and effort, you can master it by yourself

Despite what some people would like, the Ministry does not allow a Legillemens to slip into people's minds during trials as a form of searching for evidence like they do with Veritaserum, as Occlumens are known to be good liars due to their shields and can shift their memories and thoughts when someone is inside their heads

Legillemency can be done either with a wand and the incantation being 'Legillemens', or can be done wandless, and most prefer the wandless technique as it is a good way of hiding their unique ability. In order to slip into someone's mind, you must maintain full eye contact, no blinking.

When a Legillemens is inside someone's head and looking through their memories, it may seem like hours to them but merely a few seconds have passed

For an Occlumens to use their ability, they have to maintain a calm composure when trying to clear their heads, remove all negative thoughts and anger, beliefs and secrets they have, and lock it behind a wall, door, or curtain of some kind

It can be anything that resembles simply taking a key and throwing it away after locking things behind a large door. Anything that troubles them, it gets put away and never to be seen again

Some people even imagine their shields as forests or caves, so when a Legillemens tries to enter their head, they get lost in the dark trees or echoing rocks and feel scared, therefore have no choice but to leave

Other highly skilled Occlumens sometimes use a very cunning ability to change their thoughts all together, therefore letting a Legillemens inside their head, but instead of letting them see a memory of a sunny day, they'll mentally change it to being a rainy day, making the Legillemens believe it to be true

Harry was fascinated the more and more he read. He had a giant grin on his face and his eyes were blown wide, he didn't know magic like this even existed! 

He decides he's definitely going to attempt the Occlumency one first. After all, it talks about locking away emotions and thoughts behind mental shields and Harry could really benefit from that, considering the amount of negativity he carries around with him sometimes.

He doesn’t plan on telling anybody about it as he doesn’t want anybody to get the wrong impression considering he reputation it apparently holds as being a dark gift. He doesn’t want people to start judging him. Plus, they’d all wonder where he got this information from and then he’d have to explain that he snuck into the Restricted Section. 

Yep, best to kept his little secret to himself. 

He plans on mastering Occlumency first, no matter how long it’ll take, and when he’s done with that, he’ll move onto Legillemency. He wants to have such a unique ability and he _will_ have it. He’ll make sure of it. 

He doesn’t fail at anything, not anymore. He’s not weak like the Dursley’s make him out to be. He’s strong and a good wizard, he can do anything he puts his heart and mind and soul into. 

Plus, if the Legillemency works on muggles, it’ll definitely come in handy when he’s trying to escape from Dudley and his friend’s attacks because he’ll be able to see it beforehand.

Why on Earth is this considered a dark gift? Utter rubbish. It’s a lifesaver, for some.

He reads until dinner time, making sure to hide the books when he hears footsteps coming up the stairs, and ends up getting dragged to the Great Hall by a hungry Ron, but Harry barely has an appetite. 

He’s just picking at his food and he knows he should eat but, yet again, the memory of that mirror resurfaces. Ron usually passes straight out when he eats loads and that’s a blessing for Harry as he watches him stuff his face with food, dripping it on his lap. 

Harry chews slowly on a slice of steak until he feels calmer.

Sure enough, when it’s bedtime, Ron starts snoring away and Harry casts a Silencing Charm on him. 

He gets out the Invisibility Cloak and slips it over his shoulders, heading out the door and out the Gryffindor tower. He begins to take the route that leads in the direction of the mirror, making sure to keep his footsteps light so Filch and Mrs Norris don’t hear.

When he sees the familiar suit of armour that stands near the doorway, he grins. He runs quietly for the door and peeks his head in, glad nobody else is there.

He walks up to the mirror and smiles when he sees his parents still there, both looking happy to see him. He beams up at them and they place their hands on his shoulders, yet again.

He still doesn’t feel it but he can see it, so it’s enough for him.

 _‘Can this mirror tell the future?’_ He thinks excitedly to himself. _‘Are my parents really in this mirror? Are they coming to get me?’_ But, then a sad feeling washes over him. _‘How can they? They’re dead.’_

He looks up at them with watery eyes and sees that they have tears rolling down their faces but smiles, nonetheless. 

He stays there for what feels like hours, it possibly could be. He sits down on the floor and stares up at them, admiring his mum’s green eyes that look exactly like his and dad’s messy black hair that looks like his. They look so similar to Harry and he wishes they could really be here so people could point and tell them all that. He’d feel so proud. 

A noise broke him out of his long trance when he heard light distant footsteps getting closer. He blinked rapidly to clear his head and stood up, looking for the Invisibility Cloak. He threw it on when he got a whiff of his natural mortal enemy, the foul cat Mrs Norris. 

She poked her head inside the doorway and her bright eyes scanned the room, seeing nobody in particular, letting out a meow, before taking off. 

He sighed in relief before heading back to the tower. He didn’t want to be here if she went to get Filch and he caught him, they’d end up ripping each other’s throats open.

When he was back in his dorm he collapsed straight into bed and couldn’t fall asleep at all, too wound up and restless about what he’d seen. 

* * *

“Want to play chess?” Ron asked with a smile, sitting across from Harry on the couch.

“No.” Harry said simply.

“Want to play Exploding Snap?”

“No.”

“Checkers?”

“No.”

“Cards?”

“No.”

“Do you want to go visit Hagrid?” Ron asked with with a raised eyebrow. 

“No.” Harry sighed yet again, for what felt like the millionth time that day. “You go by yourself, I’m staying here.” 

“Harry, you can’t keep yourself locked away like this. It’s not healthy!” Ron said frustrated. “It’s all you’ve done during the holidays.” 

Harry shrugged. “I’ve enjoyed it.”

Ron gaped. “How- Just-“ He stuttered. “Look, I get you weren’t feeling well but how can you enjoy being locked away twenty four, seven?” 

Harry just shrugged again. “Too cold outside.” He mumbled.

“Then wear your gloves. You’ve got them on right now.” 

Harry flexed his fingers. He still hadn’t taken the dragonhide gloves off, he was honestly too scared too, incase he lashed out and did something ridiculous, either to himself or at someone else. At least these would help. 

“Ron...” Harry whined. “I’m still recovering, that’s all. Maybe later?” He said with a smile. 

Ron huffed and nodded, walking off. Harry felt bad but he had to be alone with his thoughts. Well, just his one thought, in particular. 

* * *

Yet again, later that night when Ron was asleep, Harry snuck out of bed with the cloak and found his way quietly to the room with the mirror. He smiled when he walked inside and saw his parents looking at him proudly and with love in their eyes. It’s how he always imagined they would look at him. 

Suddenly, he heard a noise from behind him and whipped around quickly. At first, he thought it might be Mrs Norris, but he would definitely smell her and he smelled no cat in here. 

It was the sound of a chair shifting and someone standing up. Then an old voice spoke up.

“I see you’re back again, Harry.” Dumbledore spoke in a soft voice.

“Um... I didn’t know you were going to be here, sir.” He said confused. “And I didn’t see you in the corner there.”

Dumbledore just laughed. “Strange how nearsighted being invisible can make you.”

“Okay.” Harry said with a raised eyebrow. 

Dumbledore smiled and stood next to him. “I see you’ve discovered the delights of The Mirror of Erised, just like hundreds before you have done so.” He said, pointing to the mirror.

“Oh, I didn’t know that’s what it was called, sir.”

“Well, I’m sure you know what it does, by now?” 

“It shows me my family.” Harry said in a whisper. 

“Yes. I would assume so.” He said in a thoughtful voice.

Harry looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Sir?”

“Do you know why it shows you your family, Harry?” He asks him, curiously.

Harry thinks for a moment, there must be some kind of reasoning for this, some kind of logic. And Harry’s not dumb, he’s good at logic. 

_Erised... Erised... Erised..._

_Desire!_

“It shows us what our hearts desire the most, right?” He spoke confidently. 

Dumbledore’s eyes went wider as if he didn’t expect him to get it first time round, then he smiled. 

“Yes, quite.” He nodded. “It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. You, who have never known your family, see them standing around you. However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge or truth. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible.”

Harry took in all the information, storing it away. “Okay.” He said, trying to ignore the fact that he felt like one of the examples just used. 

"The Mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow, Harry, and I ask you not to go looking for it again. If you ever do run across it, you will now be prepared. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that. Now, why don't you put that admirable cloak back on and get off to bed?"

Harry stood up and grabbed the cloak. Before he put it on, he looked to the headmaster. “Sir, can I ask you something?"

"Obviously, you've just done so.” Dumbledore smiled. "You may ask me one more thing, however.”

Harry tried his best not to roll his eyes at his theatrics.

“What do you see when you look in the mirror?"

"I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks.”

Harry just stared at him. “What?”

"One can never have enough socks," said Dumbledore with a shrug. “Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books.”

Harry just nodded and put the cloak on, heading back off to the tower. He thought about how rude that was. The fact that he knew openly what Harry’s secret was but didn’t bother to tell him his? 

This is where Legillemency would come in useful. Unless he actually was telling the truth, then his headmaster really was as mad as some people say.

When he got back to the tower and back into his dorm, he found Scabbers laying on his pillow and cringed. The filthy thing needed another bath and he picked it up by its tail, throwing it across the room until it landed on a heap of Ron’s clothes piled on the floor. 

It let out a squeak as it was tossed but he payed the rodent no mind, he didn’t care for it at all. 

Something about that rat gave him the creeps, too. He tried telling Ron one time that he thinks his rat is watching him from across the room, like it’s little round eyes are always locked on him, but he insisted that Scabbers is harmless and wouldn’t ever hurt a soul. 

Harry wasn’t convinced, though. It had a weird smell to it, too. Almost like when the guys get off the quidditch pitch and head into locker rooms, stinking of sweat, making Harry have to cover his nose and hide gags. 

Scabbers smelled like that distinctly, mixed with animal scent. He’s a bloody weird rat and Harry would gladly chop off the rest off his little fingers to match the already missing one. 

He shrugs it off and forgets about tonight’s events with the mirror, too. He decides to give himself some peace of mind for the first time in several days and attempt sleep. He wants to do it properly though, without any bad dreams or restlessness getting in the way.

He tries practising the beginning steps to Occlumency, clearing his head of all thoughts until he’s in a trance state. He sits on his bed and takes deep breaths, counting to one hundred slowly inside his head, like the book said, and focusing on nothing but his own breathing. 

It feels a bit like muggle meditation. After about an hour, he starts to feel something. He was so close to giving up but he wants to prove to himself he can do it.

The feeling starts out gently but then hits him harder. He feels like he’s he’s drifting and flying, even though he’s sitting completely still. He no longer hears any noise around him or feels anything, he can’t hear his own breathing or feel his hands and legs. 

He’s completely in the dark, there’s no noise and the blackness goes on forever. He looks down and he realises he’s standing up. How did he do that and when? Where even is he? 

And then he realises with a jolt, he’s standing inside his own mind.

He concentrates hard and sees a faint flicker of light in the distance. He quickly runs towards it and when he eventually reaches the light, he sees two paths. 

It seems he’s now in an outdoors setting and the two paths split off in a ‘V’ shape, going their separate ways.

One is filled with bright and natural light, the grass a lovely green under is feet with small flowers, some bushes and a lovely cobblestone path for him to follow under the blue sky above. It’s like a nice summers day.

The other is dark and scary looking. Black, cloudy skies above, thunder roaring, lightening striking inside a massive forest of trees that seem to go on forever. They’re so tall and the rocky uncomfortable path that’s under his feet will immediately take you straight into the depths of it. 

There is a pleasant warmth coming from the light side of the path that makes you want to go for a stroll through it.

Then there is a bitter, icy coldness coming from the dark side, biting at his arms, that’ll make you want to run away and stay clear of it. 

The only thing that separates the two of these paths is a pathetic little fence in the middle, obviously supposed to be some kind of barrier between them both. 

_‘What is this place?’_ Harry thinks confused to himself. _‘I’ve never seen anything like this before. The book did say that a skilled Occlumens could imagine their walls as forests. Is that what this is? But why is there a nice field too?’_ He’s just getting more and more confused.

Then he remembers something he skimmed over when he was reading his Mind Arts book. He’d began to read it just before Ron barged in the room but had to put it away before he could finish.

The book had talked about something called Mindscapes and it was the very place in which wizards and witches could go to escape reality. Nobody else could enter your Mindscape except yourself and based on what’s around the wizard or witch inside their Mindscape, it shows parts of their personality.

 _‘Huh, so what does this show about me?’_ Harry thinks to himself, looking about. _‘Maybe it shows that I have both some lightness and darkness to me.’_ He raises his eyebrows in curiosity, considering that would actually make the most sense. 

He’s a good person who comes from a good family, but he’s a dark affiliated creature. Not to mention the fact that he’s technically practicing the Dark Arts, otherwise he wouldn’t even be here. That’s what this could be about. It’s only plausible. He nods to himself in confirmation. 

The book had also said that a wizard who was inside their own Mindscape could explore it all they wanted and wouldn’t get hurt, since nobody else could enter it. 

It would work just like Legillemency. It could seem like they’ve been inside their head for hours when really only a few seconds have went past. 

Apparently, it was a good way of discovering things about yourself and resurfacing old memories. Or if you simply wanted to get some alone time for a while and didn’t have anywhere to physically go, you could go inside your head instead. It can be a good stress relief.

Harry will be sure to try it. He wants to be able to spend more time with Ron but have his alone time. If that means doing it by the means of magic, he will.

He’ll also be sure to learn how to build his Occlumency shields. Who knows what they’ll turn out to be. A locked door? A wall? He’ll discover in time.

For now, he just wants to sleep. 

He focuses on his breathing and counts to one hundred again inside his head, until he starts to feel the drifting and flying motion again. Then suddenly, he’s back on his bed. He looks around himself and nothing has changed. Ron is still sleeping, Scabbers is still nibbling on biscuits from Ron’s pockets and it’s still dark outside, so definitely no time has passed. 

The only difference is that Harry is suddenly very tired and that makes him pleased, because now he can finally sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3


	10. Occlumency Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finding out about Flamel, weird conversations in the dark forest and mastering Occlumency.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My updates will unfortunately be a little slower now and NOBODY is more pissed about that than me, believe me 😑
> 
> I was in the middle of writing a chapter a couple of days ago and my phone just decides to break. So now I have NO PHONE. so I’m currently updating on my brothers iPad and writing on an iPad really hurts my hands and wrists because it’s such a big screen.
> 
> Plus ALL MY NOTES that I had regarding this story and the series was on my phone and I’ve lost it all, so I’m going to have to start from scratch and make some new notes which sucks. I’ve lost so many plot ideas for you all, I’m sorry. 
> 
> I’m usually an every day updater but I believe it’ll be every few days now until I get a new phone, fml. 
> 
> I made this chapter extra long though to make up for the wait :) and to make myself feel better too, lmao. 
> 
> Pls enjoy omg, this hurt my hands badly 😂

Since Harry's encounter with Dumbledore at the Mirror of Erised, he hasn't gone looking for it again. He said it was being moved and Harry honestly couldn't be bothered going on a game of cat and mouse, running around the castle looking for it. 

Plus, he'd already seen enough of his parents. It hurt as much as it felt good whenever he saw them through that mirror and he didn't want to go through it all again. He had enough memories for now.

Recently he's been having a reoccurring nightmare, just seeing a bright flash of green light, hearing screams and then seeing his parent's panicked faces. There was also manic laughter that followed. It was all jumbled up and he woke up feeling really confused about what it meant but he always just brushed it off. 

For the rest of the Christmas holidays, Harry's Invisibility Cloak stayed hidden inside his trunk, locked away. He didn't bring it up to Ron or tell anybody else about it and he didn't go out using it again.

Of course, things just had to get worse for Harry. The day before term began again, Hermione came back to school and was mad at both him and Ron for not bothering to find out anything on Nicolas Flamel. 

Ron looked guilty, of all things, but Harry just ignored her. He still wasn't interested. 

If she's going to keep up the act of going around and accusing Professor Snape of doing some evil misdeeds then he's going to use one of those nasty curses he read about on her. 

Ron kept saying how he was so sure he'd heard the name before but couldn't place where. To be fair, Harry was sure he had too, but why would he bother to care? 

Once term had started again, Hermione had dragged Ron back into her scheming, searching through tons of books over and over again during their breaks. 

Harry was glad he had the excuse that he couldn't because he had quidditch practise. 

Wood was pushing the team harder than he was before and even though a lot of the players were complaining, Harry agreed with Wood. They had to beat Hufflepuff in their next match so that they could then play Slytherin and beat them, therefore winning the House Championship for the first time in seven years. 

Due to the excessive amount of training that tired him out and the Mindscape training, as he called this one, he'd been getting much better sleep and having less nightmares.

Then one day when they were out on the pitch, Wood delivered some news that shocked everyone.

"Will you stop messing around!" He yelled to to the Weasley twins who kept giggling on their brooms and chasing each other. "That's exactly the sort of thing that'll lose us the match! Snape's refereeing this time, and he'll be looking for any excuse to knock points off Gryffindor!" He snapped.

George fell off his broom in shock at his words and Fred just gaped at Wood. 

Everyone started yelling in outrage at the announcement.

"Snape's refereeing?" Someone spluttered. 

"When's he ever refereed a Quidditch match?" Someone else asked.

"He's not going to be fair if we might overtake Slytherin!" Someone yelled.

Wood just sighed. "I know that. We just have to make sure we play a clean game so Snape doesn't have any excuse to pick on us." He said, scratching the back of his neck.

Harry thought they were all being quite dramatic. Professor Snape wouldn't deliberately take points off a team out of pettiness, he'd surely have a reason. 

He'd make sure to keep an eye out on him and every one of the players, seeing what the reasons for it could be. Then he could fix it.

Eventually, everyone headed back into the Gryffindor common room and started yelling about how Snape was refereeing, getting screams of outrage just like out on the field. 

Harry went to sit with Ron and therefor had to sit with Hermione as she was next to him.

"Mate, you can't play." Ron said to him with wide eyes. "He'll try and kill you again."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Professor Snape didn't try and jinx my broom, we've been over this!" Harry said, frustrated.

"Then how do you explain-" 

"When she set his robes on fire?" He interrupted. "I'm not sure what happened but I know he didn't do it. So, stop accusing people of things." He glared.

Ron just sighed. "I'm just trying to look out for you. Pretend you're sick again, they'll believe you."

Hermione nodded. "Or say you broke your leg." 

"Or actually do break your leg! Can I help? I'll jump on it." 

"Ronald!" Hermione snapped at him. 

"Just trying to help..." He mumbled.

"Oh my god, will you two shut up?" Harry snapped.

They both went silent. "I can't back out because there's no reserve seeker and I don't plan to, anyway. Because unlike _some_ , I'm not paranoid about an innocent teacher just because you dislike him." 

"But-" 

"No, Ron!" 

Just then, he heard a grunting noise and turned his head to see Neville hopping pathetically through the portrait hole and into the common room. Harry recognised the spell right away as the Leg Locker Curse. 

When he stumbled to the floor, everyone started laughing at him. Harry just got up and performed the countercurse making some people gape, obviously wondering how an eleven year old could do that so easily. 

_'Maybe because I'm Harry freaking Potter, that's why. And I'm awesome.'_ He thought smugly.

Neville stood up eventually and smiled at him. "Thanks, Harry. You're the only one who helped me." He said quietly, looking embarrassed.

"It's okay Neville, people are idiots. What happened anyway?" 

He gulped and trembled a little. "Malfoy." Harry's eyes went wide. "I ran into him outside the library and he said he's been looking for someone to practice the spell on... then he laughed when he said he didn't know the countercurse." He looked to the floor sadly. "Then he just left me there."

Harry shook with rage, clenching his gloved hands. Malfoy. It was always him. 

"Go to Professor Mcgonagall!" Hermione yelled out. 

"I don't want any more trouble from him." Neville shook his head rapidly.

"You have got to start sticking up for yourself, Neville." Ron sighed. "He's used to walking all over people."

Neville just whimpered. "I know I'm not brave enough for Gryffindor, Malfoy already told me. You don't have to say it, too."

"Pfft, you're worth twelve of Malfoy, mate. The hat chose you for a reason, right?" Ron said comfortingly. 

Neville shrugged, nodding. "I guess..."

"And where's Malfoy? In stinking Slytherin." Ron laughed.

Neville just grinned. "True."

Harry glared. "There's nothing wrong with Slytherin House, Ron. You're being prejudice." Harry said sharply. "It's a house of ambition and determination, which are very good qualities to have in students." He said matter of factly. "No, the real problem here is Malfoy." 

"Harry, come on. We all know that every dark wizard or witch comes from there." Ron said with a frown.

"Are you saying I'm a dark wizard then?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow. When Ron just looked at him confused, Harry just folded his arms. "Because that's the house I'm actually supposed to be in."

Ron just gaped at him with wide eyes. "You're kidding." 

"No, I'm not. The only reason I'm not is because I didn't want to be stuck in a dorm for seven years with that prat and risk us killing one another. See? Self preservation, a Slytherin trait." He smirked. "And why do you think I don't want to get up to all your little _business_?" He asked with a raised brow. "Because I'm not reckless. And how I got Malfoy caught out in the middle of the night? It was my cunning." 

Ron was just staring at him in silence whilst Hermione nodded along. It was as if she agreed with what he was saying.

"I can't say I'm too surprised. I mean... it does fit." She says, thoughtfully. "But that's fine, isn't it Ron?" She nudged him hard in the shoulder to get his attention and he stopped gaping to look at her. "Right?"

Ron just nodded slowly then turned to Harry with a small smile. "Right, yeah." He said in a soft voice. "Still best pals, no matter what." 

Harry's heart was melting. He didn't expect for him to be called his best pal. He's never had a best friend, ever. The closest he's had is the snake but he's only an animal. He's never had a human friend he's been so close with before. It brings a new kind of happiness to him. He smiles at Ron brightly. 

"You, too." He said softly. 

After a minute of silence, a throat clears behind Harry, making him jump. Oh right, Neville was still there.

Harry turned around and placed a hand on his shoulder, grinning at him.

"Don't worry, Neville. Malfoy will get what's coming to him, don't worry about a thing." 

"What do you-“

"Trust me. Karma works in mysterious ways." Neville nodded and headed up to the dorm, leaving them alone. Harry sat back down and snorted.

"What?" Hermione asked with a raised eyebrow. 

"Karma must be my new nickname." He grinned. 

She looked at him confused for a second before clicking the pieces together. 

"No! Absolutely not. You are not going after Malfoy. You're going to get yourself into trouble."

"When have I ever done that?" He raised an eyebrow, challenging her. He saw her think for a moment before she sighed, giving up. "Exactly. Never." He grinned. "Because I'm clever that way. Malfoy needs to be knocked down several pegs by now. Not only has he messed with Ron and me many times but now he's cursing poor Neville."

"I agree." Ron spoke up confidently.

"Ronald!" Hermione snapped.

"What do you have planned, Harry?" Ron just ignores her.

"Malfoy called me Scarface, knowing that was going to get right under my skin." He scowled. "If he's going to attack my appearance, I'm going to attack his." He grinned. 

"How?" 

"What does Malfoy pride himself on? What does he go around admiring about himself every day?"

"Probably his hair?"

"Exactly." Harry smirked. "Well, we're going to ruin it." He giggled.

Ron leaned forward, eyes wide. "How?"

"I noticed that Malfoy carries his hair gel in his bag, he fixes his hair up between classes. So, if we can get to it, then I can jinx it to dye his hair when he applies it. It can last for days." He laughed. 

"Where did you read this?" Hermione asked with wide eyes.

"In a book from the library. It had all kind of jinxes, hexes and curses in it." He said honestly. "Ron, I honestly think this is where your twin brothers learned it all." He laughed. "The stuff seems familiar."

Ron just groaned and rubbed his eyes. 

"Okay, so if one of us can get our hands on his bag and his hair gel, you'll jinx it?" 

"Yep." Harry smiled. "Easy as that."

"Well, I'm not taking part in your ridiculous plan." Hermione spoke up. "It's just silly and childlike."

"But, that's exactly what we are." Ron spoke up with a grin.

Harry snorted. "I completely understand, Hermione. I don't want anything to do with your plan so you don't want anything to do with mine. We're even."

"But at least mine is important!" She yelled. "And could be life changing."

"And mine is hilarious." Harry crossed his arms. "And will teach a brat a lesson."

Ron just stared between them two, stuck on who's side to take. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a chocolate frog, biting into it.

The smell made Harry cringe and he had to scoot away a little bit, holding his nose. Hermione eyed him funnily.

"Here, you collect these cards now, don't you?" Ron said, looking at the card that was inside the box. He pulled it out and there was one with Dumbledore's face on it. 

"Nah, I gave up after a while." Harry shrugged. He didn't want to admit it's because he had to go near the chocolate.

Ron payed it no mind and started reading the card again until he dropped his chocolate on the floor. Harry looked at him with a raised eyebrow and Ron had wide eyes.

"It's here! Look." He said pointing to the card. "I've found him, Nicolas Flamel! I knew I'd read the name somewhere." Ron said with a grin. 

Harry looked at the card with curiosity, considering Ron wouldn't shut up about it. It read, 

Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel

He remembers reading that on the train coming here but honestly thought nothing of it. 

Hermione suddenly jumped up out of her seat with a giant smile on her face. "Stay right there!" She then ran off to the girl's dorm before coming back a minute later, carrying a giant book in her arms.

"I never even thought to look in here! I got this out of the library a few weeks ago for a bit of light reading." She whispered excitedly.

"You call this light?" Ron asked bewildered.

She just glared at him. Harry had to hold back a snort.

She looked through the book, flicking through countless pages until she finally found what she was looking for.

"Here it is, look! Nicolas Flamel is the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone." She whispered.

"The what?" Ron asked with a raised eyebrow.

She just sighed. "Honestly, don't you ever read?" 

She pushed the book towards Ron who was still sitting comfortably on the couch and he glared for a second before reading it. He looked over to Harry, gesturing him to come read it as well. 

Harry just sighed irritably and did so.

The book read,

The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Philosopher's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal

There have been many reports of the Philosopher's Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera lover. Mr. Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight)

"You see! That's what the dog must be guarding." Hermione said with wide eyes. "I bet you anything Flamel asked Dumbledore to keep it hidden here in the school and had it moved out of Gringotts because he knew it'd get stolen." 

"A stone that makes gold and stops you from dying?" Ron asked with wide eyes. "No wonder Snape is after it!" 

Harry just let out a _growl_. It was unintentional and he regretted it the second it happened but he couldn't control it. He really ought to practise Occlumency more. Ron and Hermione's faces looked stunned beyond belief, they slightly backed up away from him and Hermione had grabbed the book and looked as if she was using it as some kind of protective barrier between them two.

Harry took deep breaths to calm down and clenched his fists. 

_One... two... three... four... five..._

"Snape's not after the Stone." He said in a whisper after a minute of silence had passed. 

"How do you know that?" Hermione bravely asked, even though she was still clutching the book to her chest.

"I just know." Harry gritted his teeth. "I trust him. Ron, back me up here. You've been with me during the holidays." 

Ron just blushed and looked towards Hermione. "Well, I don't know who else-"

Harry suddenly stood up and said nothing, only heading towards the dorm and focusing on his breathing the entire way. 

When he was out of sight, he decided to listen in with his super good hearing to see if they would talk about him behind his back.

"What on Earth was that?" Hermione asked Ron in a shocked voice. "Did you hear that noise he made?"

"Yeah, it was kinda weird..." Ron mumbled.

"Kind of?" She asked bewildered. "Ronald, he growled! Like, actually growled. Like an animal!" She said slightly hysterical.

Ron just sighed. "Maybe he has a sore throat?" 

"A what?" She asked, confused. 

"Harry has a tendency to get sick sometimes. He might just have a sore throat again, that's all."

"I don't know..." She said, sounding unsure. 

"Hermione, just leave it. He's my best friend and I know him the most. Harry's a good guy and he's stressed and tired. Stop making a big deal out of it." Ron defended him. "It was just a silly noise." 

Hermione was silent for a moment before huffing. "Fine." She then stormed off, most likely heading to the girl's dorm. "All boys are insane." Harry heard her mutter under her breath. 

"Girls are mental." He also heard Ron mumble. He smirked to himself. They'd make a good and funny couple in the future, the kind that were always bickering.

That night when Ron was asleep, Harry decided to give his Occlumency another try. He got comfortable on the bed and cleared his head so he was in a calm place to begin with. He needed a clean slate for this.

He decided that he needed to pick out a memory, it had to be something small to begin with as to not overwhelm himself. He chose to go with the memory of Malfoy calling him Scarface. That one stung and he knew that if he got called that again, which was very likely, he'd like to be able to control his temper and emotional state this time round.

He focused on the memory, he went back to that night, standing there face to face with a smirking Malfoy who though it would be funny to humiliate him in front of his best friend. He focused on the pain he felt, the hurt and the tears that built up.

He focused on the need to claw at Malfoy's face as well as dig his nails into his own palms. He focused so hard on it all that it was as if it were actually happening. 

And then suddenly he was there, in the exact same corridor and Malfoy was standing in front of him yet again, mocking him with the same insults. He had a big grin on his face and was making up lies to Professor Snape and Harry felt so betrayed. 

But, no... Harry's had enough of him. He's sick of this little blonde brat trying to get his way, he's sick of the curses and threats and name calling and prejudices. He won't win, not ever. 

Harry has his wand in his holster, he picks it up and does something he wishes he'd done before. It was good enough when Professor Snape had yelled at Malfoy but Harry was too busy blacking out in a panic attack to do anything about it himself. 

Now he can finally do something. He takes ahold of his wand in a firm grip and with the strongest and most dangerously powerful Blasting Curse he could ever fire in all his life, he fires it at Malfoy's face until he gets destroyed into one hundred, million, tiny, little pieces. 

Everything around him in this hallway explodes, it goes up in flames and a bright white light flashes, as if inside a massive nuclear bomb, it's that powerful. He feels his skin scorch and his body gets hotter, he knows he's beginning to melt and then suddenly he's thrusted back outside of his own head and into reality, accidentally throwing himself forward off his bed and landing on the floor in a heap. 

His back is sticky with sweat and it's running all the way down his forehead, he can taste it in his mouth and it's really gross. 

_'Okay, I may have overdone it a little bit.'_ He thinks to himself, but then he grins, catching his breath and laying back on his bed. _'I finally got ahold of my Occlumency shields! I knew I could do it.'_

Turns out, that it wasn't some kind of door, wall or curtain that he has as a shield, despite the fact that those are those most common ones. The book says that a powerful Occlumens could create their own versions and apparently he's now realised that his is blasting someone in the face with an explosion that is very painful and forces them outside his mind. 

For a moment, he was honestly scared of what happened. He was so sure that he was dying. He really thought he had seen the _light_ as people say, when you die. He thought he'd bloody killed himself and was going to wizard's heaven or something. But this was so much cooler.

He gets changed into some new pyjamas and finds that sleep hits him as soon as his head hits the pillow. 

* * *

The next morning, they had Defence classes and Harry was surprised at what they were actually reading about. It was only brief but it was a small paragraph in a book that talked about _werewolves._

He shifted nervously in his seat, hoping that nobody would notice. He knew it was just his paranoia but he still couldn't help but get the fear that somehow, someone would read something from a paragraph, then take one look at him and scream out loud. He'd probably drop dead on the floor.

He also kept an eye out on that Hermione girl. He hates to admit it but she's a lot cleverer than he thought. He'll have to make sure she doesn't find out about his issue, considering she's already wary of him after the stunt he pulled last night in the common room.

In class, they had to take some notes on werewolf bites and then write a small essay on how to treat them. They also had to write about the scarring and how to cure them. 

_'Good luck with that.'_ Harry thought to himself. _'There's no such cure. I mean, take a look at me, for example.'_ He thought bitterly.

During the rest of the class, Ron continued whispering to Harry about the quidditch match, saying how he's going to wipe the smiles off all the Slytherin's faces when he shows up and beats them. Harry just nodded. 

Of course, Ron still held his silly prejudices against Snape. When they were in the dungeons during their Potions class, Harry began brewing the potion of his choice, the Bone Growing Potion which was actually quite advanced as it was used for quite serious injuries. He'd learned about it through reading an _Advanced Potion Making_ book he found in the library.

But Snape didn't object to him attempting it, thankfully. He just raised an eyebrow when he wrote the name down in his notebook and collected all the ingredients needed, nodding in approval when he realised Harry had everything correct. 

He went around the class, examining everyone's potions as they brewed and hummed at some people's and scoffed at other's. 

When Seamus blew up his cauldron and his eyebrows burned off, Snape sent him to the hospital wing with a scowl. He gagged at the slime that was pouring out of Neville's cauldron and vanished it, making the poor boy shake.

He nodded at Malfoy's, pleased at whatever kind of nonsense he'd brewed this time. Probably some hair lotion, which reminds Harry. He looks underneath the table Malfoy is standing at and sees his bag. He really wishes he could do wandless magic right now because it would so come in handy to snatch the gel out of his bag and into his hand. 

_'I'll make sure to master the wandless magic ability and non verbal magic, too.'_ He thinks confidently. _’As well as completing my Occlumency and learning Legillemency.'_ He feels ambitious and determined to succeed, grinning from ear to ear but hiding it in his cauldron. 

He hears Snape coming his way and then hears him make a gagging noise. He lifts his head up and sees him staring at Ron's potion with distaste.

"Mr Weasley, would you mind explaining to me exactly what that is?" Snape asked with a glare.

Ron turned bright red. "It's supposed to be something that helps you with the flu, sir." He mumbled out.

"Oh really?" Snape asked, leaning in to examine the grey sludge that was boiling in the cauldron, which was most certainly supposed to be clear. How on earth? "Because to me, it certainly looks like that would land you in the hospital and risk giving you death rather than help cure you of it." Snape hissed.

Harry covered a laugh up with a cough. Ron just turned to him as if asking for help. Snape, however, seemed to catch it and gave a slight smirk before wiping it clean.

"Sorry, my throat..." Harry said, pretending to clear it.

"Hmm... lets see here." He leaned over his cauldron and Harry heard Ron let out a gulp, as if scared he was going to get a lashing. "You brewed a potion that is far beyond your year level, Mr Potter. Very good. Not many first years can brew the Bone Growing Potion as you have done." He then sighed. "And not many fifth years can do it, either." He said bitterly, obviously referring to a class he had. 

"Thank you, sir." Harry smiled, loving the attention. 

"Five points to your house." He said simply and walked away without any other word. 

Ron stood there with his fists clenched so tight, his knuckles were white. The Gryffindors looked shocked at a little scared. The Slytherins looked angry and betrayed, especially Malfoy who looked like he was a few seconds away from a temper tantrum. And Hermione was just staring back and forth like she was trying to put pieces together but didn't understand.

She kept shaking her head rapidly and muttering to herself, as if trying to work something out. Harry payed her no mind. 

"I swear, it's like he can read my mind sometimes." Ron whispered to him with wide eyes. "Like he knows what to say that'll get under my skin. Do you know what I mean?"

Harry just shrugged. "I've never really thought about it." 

Ron just sighed and went back to attempting to save his potion which was a lost cause.

This was one of the many reasons why Harry wanted to master Legillimency. He never would have even suspected Professor Snape to be a Legillimens, but since Ron's put the idea in his head, it's all he can think about. 

_’Is Professor Snape actually a Legillimens? Should I ask him? No, that's a terrible idea. Then he'd know I'm aware that these abilities exists and he'd demand to know where I learned them.'_

It did get him thinking, though. How many Legillimens were actually in this school, right now? It's a gift you were either born with or you could learn, therefore, that means there is a good percent that at least one person in this school is a Legillimens. It would be ridiculous it there wasn't one.

Was that person Snape? Or could it even be Malfoy? Harry considers him for a moment and internally shakes his head. He doesn't seem to be the patient type and you definitely need patience to learn. 

He thinks back to when the headmaster first visited him at the Dursley's. He felt odd when meeting him, as if he was looking through him and had the distinct feeling back then that perhaps he actually was having his memory read. Was Dumbledore a Legillimens? Or was he just paranoid about a strange wizard coming to see him that day? 

The only way to find out is to become one himself and enter their heads, viewing their own thoughts of him. Then he can be sure. Until then, he'll just put his suspicions on hold. They'll do him no good.

He eventually bottled up his potion into vials and left them on the table for the teacher to come and get. As he was heading out the class however, he nudged Ron who saw Malfoy's bag and grinned. 

Ron let out an overly dramatic sneeze, gaining most of the classes attention. He then started coughing and wiping his eyes. Some people cringed while some people giggled.

"Good thing I brewed that flu potion, right?" He joked to the Gryffindors standing near him, keeping their attention on him. 

During this, Harry pretended to drop his wand near Malfoy's table just to have an excuse if he was caught, crouching down low enough when Malfoy's back was turned as he went to clean up his cauldron and kept out of eyesight from the teacher. He then sneakily reached into his bag and grabbed the gel. Casting a quick incantation that took three seconds, he slipped it back in his bag and crept back up out of hiding, holding his wand and putting it away, acting innocent. 

He heard Ron continue with his antics, still stealing the attention of most people in the room. 

"Although, if anything Snape said was true, I really shouldn't drink it or I'll die." He laughed, making the Gryffindors snort and the Slytherins roll their eyes and scoff.

Harry walked up to him and tapped him casually. "Hey, ready to go?"

"Oh, yeah." He grinned and they both ran out of there, holding in their giggles. 

"I can't wait to see Malfoy's face when he shows up to classes with bright blue hair!" Harry laughed when they were around the corner.

"Did it all go to plan then?" They heard a squeaky voice say behind them.

They both turned around and looked at a stone faced Hermione.

"Why, yes it did. Hermione, my dear." Harry said with a sarcastic grin. "As all my plans do. And you missed out on a great opportunity to be apart of it because that was really fun." He laughed.

Ron giggled with him and nodded. "I was quite the actor, wasn't I?" 

She just rolled her eyes at them and walked past. 

"You're conflicted, aren't you? I can tell." Harry grinned at her, knowing he was getting under her skin.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "About what..."

"You saw that Professor Snape isn't evil yourself and now you're starting to realise that you may just be wrong." He said simply. "Face it, Hermione. This know it all doesn't know it all." He smirked, using the nickname against her. 

She suddenly turned on him and screamed. "How dare you! I have every right to suspect someone of doing something like this when they give off immediate bad vibes. And the fact that he seems so taken with you and you with him, it just makes me think..." She shook her head.

Harry took a step closer to her. "Think what?" He knew where she was going with this but he wants her to say it.

She gulped and stood up straighter. "It makes me think that you're working with him." She said, shakily. After several seconds of silence, Harry let out a bitter laugh. "It's true, you could be! You never want to help and you're always defending him. Who knows what's possible?" She whispers, confused.

Eventually Ron buts in. "Hermione, Harry wouldn't do something like that. I still don't like Snape but I'm with Harry all the time and we tell each other loads of stuff. Plus we sleep in the same dorm. I'd just know if he were up to anything and he's not." 

"Thanks, Ron." Harry said genuinely.

Ron smiled at Harry reassuringly. Harry, however, was not going to admit that he's been sneaking out whilst Ron's fast asleep because that's not going to go down well, so he'll just leave it at this. "Snape just... likes his potions work." He slowly shrugged, scratching the back of his head. "He wouldn't drag Harry into anything. He'd like to do it alone." 

Harry both appreciated the fact that Ron was defending him by saying he wasn't up to anything evil and therefore getting this frizzy witch off his back and he was also feeling irritated at the fact that he was still intent on blaming an innocent teacher. But he just sighed and let them have their delusions, not wanting to start a fight.

"Fine..." Hermione crossed her arms and walked off.

* * *

It was the day of the quidditch match and Wood didn't bother giving them a speech inside the locker room, he just patted Harry on the back.

"If we need to wrap this game up quickly, just grab the snitch. Don't let Hufflepuff beat us because then we won't get a chance to play against Slytherin and beat them."

Harry nodded. "Okay."

When they got outside on the pitch, Harry spotted Ron standing with Hermione and Neville, bickering about something and holding their wands discretely. Oh no.

He also saw Dumbledore in the stands, his long silvery beard swaying in the wind. Professor Snape looked unhappy to be refereeing the whole thing, a grim expression on his face. Clearly quidditch wasn't his thing. How he got talked into this, Harry doesn't want to know. 

They took off into the air and heard cheers from below. When Harry was flying in the air, the wind swept at his face and he was glad he had his goggles on to protect him. He could distinctly hear some screeching voices coming from below and quickly looked down. 

It was Ron and Malfoy arguing. Malfoy looked like he was antagonising Ron and it looked like Neville was also being dragged into it. Harry smirked when he caught sight of Malfoy's blue hair, it looked like the jinxed hair gel had started to take effect. His hair had gradually began getting more and more blue as the past couple of days went by since Harry jinxed it and everyone was laughing at him now.

Good, the prat deserves it. He was screaming at everyone when they were pointing at his hair under the harsh sunlight. He was quick to blame Ron for this despite having no evidence. Harry heard Ron deny everything, good for him.

Despite the fact that Malfoy actually was correct for once, that didn't mean in one million years that Harry was ever going to admit the truth. He'd rather cut off his arm, which would be a shame because he needs it for quidditch. 

Speaking of, he quickly caught sight of something gold and shiny in the distance and raced right after it, knowing it was the snitch. Wood said to wrap it up as quickly as possible to that's what he's going to do. It soared high in the sky before plummeting down right to the ground. Harry chased after it bravely, his hand held out far and his finger wrapped around it just before he hit the ground.

He flipped himself back up and grinned, holding the snitch out for everyone to see. The stadium filled with cheers and he looked over to see Ron, Neville and Hermione looking happy whilst Malfoy looked furious.

Harry landed back on the ground and was immediately tackled by a bunch of Gryffindors, clapping him on the back and congratulating him. Dumbledore appeared in front of him and smiled.

"Well done, Mr Potter. I see you haven't been spending your time brooding over that mirror..." He raised an eyebrow. Harry just shook his head. "Very good. It's nice to keep busy." 

Harry nodded and let himself be pulled back to the locker rooms to take a shower and get dressed. Once he was done, he met with Ron and therefore Hermione who tagged along, out on the pitch alone. 

"That was brilliant, mate!" Ron cheered, going in for a hug.

Harry just smiled and gave a small hug back. "Thanks, Ron. It felt great." He laughed. "And Malfoy's face!" 

Ron giggled. "And his hair, did you see it?" 

"It's blue!" Harry snorted. "It actually worked. I didn't know for sure but it really worked." 

Ron had watery eyes. "Bloody genius, mate." He said with a grin.

Hermione broke up their giggling with a cough. They both turned to look at her.

"Well, I just want to say... Well done, Harry. Despite the fact that you almost killed yourself, you still did a good job." She nodded approvingly.

Harry raised an eyebrow at her and was silent for a moment before giving a slight smile. "Thank you, Hermione... That means something, I guess."

She just smiled slightly back and then Harry looked back to his broom. "I've got to go put this back in the broom shed." 

"Can I come? I've never seen so many better quality ones up close before. All I have are broken ones at home... Maybe we could hitch a ride?" Ron grinned.

"Ronald!" Hermione scolded. "That's against the rules."

"So?" He asked.

Harry ignored them and led them on the way to the broom shed. When they were there, Harry was about to put away his broom when Ron poked his head inside, smirking. That's when the thought struck him.

"Well, do you want to?" Harry asked in a whisper, trying not to let Hermione hear.

"Really?" Ron said, eyes wide. 

Harry sighed and shrugged with a small grin. "Why not?"

Ron just smirked and grabbed a broom, both of them giggling as they ran past her.

"What do you both think you're doing?" She shrieked.

"Going for a ride." Ron said casually. "You can come if you want. Just hop on the back." 

She scoffed at him. "No, thank you." 

Suddenly, Harry's ears picked up a noise. It sounded like footsteps coming closer towards their direction. 

"Quick, someone's coming!" Harry said with wide eyes, gesturing to the way they came. 

"I don't hear anything..." Hermione said with narrowed eyes.

"Trust me, I have _very_ good hearing." He said, seriously.

She seemed apprehensive at first but when Harry just stared at her, she sighed and hopped on the back of Ron's broom and they all flew off into the air. Just as they reached the sky, a dark figure reached where they were standing and it looked furious, considering the way it was stomping its feet and storming quickly into the forest. 

They followed the direction in which the figure was going from above, careful not to make any noise. The black cloaked figure led them a good distance into the forest before stopping. Harry listened in closely to what was said.

"I d-don't know why you wanted t-t-to meet here of all p-places, Severus..." It was Quirrell.

"Oh, I thought we'd keep this private." Snape said, his voice icy. "Students aren't supposed to know about the Philosopher's Stone, after all."

Harry frowned, he's not the type to jump to conclusions. Ron and Hermione, however, both had faces of horror. Quirrell was mumbling something to himself as usual and Snape interrupted him. 

"Have you found out how to get past that beast of Hagrid's yet?"

"B-b-but Severus, I-“

"You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell." Snape said, taking a step toward him. 

"I-I don't know what you-" 

"You know perfectly well what I mean."

An owl hooted loudly and Harry turned to see where it came from. He looked back in time to hear Snape say, "your little bit of hocus-pocus. I'm waiting."

"B-but I d-d-don't-"

"Very well." Snape cut in. "We'll have another little chat soon, when you've had time to think things over and decided where your loyalties lie."

Snape threw his dark cloak over his head and stormed quickly out of the forest. It was almost dark now but Harry could see Quirrell standing very still as though he had been hit by the Petrifying Curse.

He bit his lip and frowned again, something wasn't quite adding up. It was like he was missing a big puzzle piece that was staring him in the face. But when he looked over to Ron and Hermione, they were both shaking their heads and looked shocked and furious. 

Harry took one last look at Quirrell and heard him mumbling to himself. In a way, it looked like he was talking _to someone_ who wasn’t there.

_‘Huh, that’s interesting... Is he, though? Is someone actually there that I just can’t see?’_ Harry thought, skeptically. When Quirrell turned his back, pain flared right through his scar on his forehead and he held in a wince of pain. Every time with this darn teacher.

"A-anything you w-want." He trembled. "Y-y-yes, of c-course..."

Harry raised his eyebrows, listening in. He was either mad and hearing voices or he really was listening to someone. It sounded as if he was taking orders, somehow. But why? How?

He headed back to the Gryffindor tower with Ron and Hermione, all of them silent until they were indoors and out of earshot from anyone else. Harry turned on them with a glare.

“Just spit it out.” He raised an eyebrow. “I can tell what you’re both thinking.”

“Come on, Harry. You just saw it for yourself! Snape is trying to steal the stone but he can’t do it for himself so he’s obviously trying to get Quirrell to help him out.” Ron said, throwing his hands up.

“Exactly. And did you hear what he said about hocus-pocus? There must be more guarding the Stone than just the dog, that’s why Snape needs Quirrell so bad. He’s a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. He’ll know all sorts of stuff.” Hermione said.

“Yeah, a pathetic one.” Harry crossed his arms. “I can get on board with loads more things guarding the stupid Stone, it’s actually very smart. But I don’t believe Professor Snape is after it.” He said confidently. They both just gaped at him. “In fact, if I had to take a guess, I’d say you have to keep your eye on Quirrell.”

They both raised their eyebrows at him, clearly not expecting this from him.

“Wha could Quirrell possibly be up to? He’s the one who’s being taken advantage of!” Hermione yelled.

“And you call yourself clever, as usual...” He mumbled. “Didn’t you hear what he was saying in the forest? Because I did.” 

“Right, with your super good hearing.” She scoffed.

“Hey, it’s my good hearing that saved your arse from getting caught. Remember who to thank for that, _girl_.” He snapped at her. She gulped and glared at him. “Quirrell was talking to someone in the forest, he was listening in to someone and he’s planing on doing what they want. He’s following orders. Who’s to say that Professor Snape isn’t trying to stop him?” He smirked. “Ever thought about that?”

“Quirrell always talks to himself, he’s completely mental!” She yelled.

“Maybe not as mental as we all thought...” Harry frowned. “I’m just saying, maybe those voices he hears aren’t just voices after all. Maybe they’re real.” He shrugged. 

“Who do you think could be trying to talk to Quirrell through his head or order him about if it’s not Snape?” Ron asked quietly, finally speaking up.

“I’m not sure Ron, but you guys can suspect Professor Snape all you want. I, however, am going to stick with my own theory.” He nodded his head in confidence. “That the batty and innocent Defense teacher isn’t what he seems to be. I know there’s something going on with him. He always gives me the heebie-jeebies and makes my head hurt.” 

They all just looked at each other, not saying anything. Most likely because they didn’t know what to say. He sighed and decided the conversation was over, heading off to his dorm.

He’s been feeling a little wound up lately and realised with a gulp that the moon was approaching soon.

_‘Oh, bloody hell, not again. Haven’t I just gotten over one?’_ He looks down at his gloves and sighs, taking them off for now, sitting them on his bedside table. 

He closes his bed curtains and gets out his sketchbook, drawing Quirrell in the forest, a dark shadowy figure behind him which looms above. It’s hand is stretched out and grabbing Quirrell’s turban, about to yank it off, but he holds it to his head with a scared expression, as if scared to reveal what’s underneath.

Harry doesn’t know why he drew this or what it means, his subconscious just came up with the idea. He gets a weird feeling in his belly as he does so, though. 

When he looks at the drawing, it’s as if it’s calling out to him, as if there’s a secret message in the paper and he’s trying to decipher what it is. He frowns in concentration and after a couple of minutes he growls and shuts the book, shoving it in his bedside drawer again.

He wants to sleep now so he does his usual nightly routine, going into his Occlumency training. This time he pictures himself walking into the forest instead of Professor Snape and he sees Quirrell there. He’s standing in the forest with a timid expression and Harry decides to speak up.

“There you are, Professor!”

“Mr P-potter, we s-shouldn’t b-b-be out h-here, i-it’s not safe.”

“But I thought it would be nice to meet here, to talk.”

“I d-don't know why you wanted t-t-to meet here of all p-places, Mr P-potter."

“It’s okay, I feel perfectly safe. I’m with a teacher.” Harry smiles. “And I trust you.” His smile falters. “I can trust you, right Professor Quirrell?”

“Y-y-yes, of c-course you c-can.” Quirrell stutters, giving a nervous smile. 

“That’s good. I was worried for a moment there.” Harry sighs in relief. “I just want to remind you of where your loyalties lie, Professor Quirrell.” 

“My loyalties?” Quirrell stutters out.

“Yes. I didn’t want you to turn your back on me and run away, leaving me all alone and defenceless in the forest.” Harry said sadly. “Then we wouldn’t get along in class and trust me, you don’t want me as your enemy Professor Quirrell.” Harry shook his head. 

“Oh?” 

“Oh.” Harry nodded and pulled out his wand, blasting it in the teacher’s face as hard as he could, until the whole forest light up with bright white light and all the trees burned down into ash. Quirrell evaporated before him and Harry’s skin got hot, then just as he felt his palms begin to bleed and blister, he was thrusted from his own mind, landing backwards on his bed and panting up at the ceiling, out of breath.

He realised he should have worn his gloves because the feeling in his hands was actually him digging his nails into his palms and now they’re bleeding. Just great. 

On the upside, he’s getting better at his Occlumency. He’s been working on changing the memories around, shifting them to suit him. He took the conversation he witnessed Quirrell and Snape having in the forest and turned it into his own, still keeping snippets to make it seem realistic. 

He’s actually really proud of himself. He wishes someone was around to tell him so, but he can’t tell anyone. Too risky. He decides that since he’s already on his way to mastering Occlumency and he’s got a powerful Mindscape, the next step for him to do is Legillemency. This one is apparently the most difficult of the three Mind Arts and he’s a little nervous to try it out, but he’ll get it by the end of the year, he knows it. 

Maybe then, he’ll be able to finally see what’s going on inside Quirrell’s messed up little head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3


	11. Legillimency Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mastering Legillimency, Malfoy’s scheming and Norbert the dragon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extra long chapter for you again! I still have no phone and therefore I’m still writing from an iPad which sucks but I’m sloooowly getting used to it, I guess.
> 
> I liked this chapter and then I hated it and then I liked it again??? Please tell me your opinion because I’m confused omfg
> 
> AND YES. IS THAT SOME MINOR BONDING MOMENTS BETWEEN THEM TWO??? maybe! but of course it doesn’t last lmao
> 
> also... I updated my tags yet again, will I never stop omg?

Over the next few weeks, Harry had been spending lots of time now practicing his Legillemency as well as keeping an eye out on Quirrell.

He went through a terrible moon night recently and almost slipped up by forgetting to take his potion. He was too busy getting lost inside his own head trying to calm himself down and control his temper, using his Mindscape training to help him focus on the brighter and happier sides of himself, rather than actually focus on his potion in his bedside table which he was supposed to be taking.

It wasn't until he was exhausted enough and had to escape his own mind to rest that he felt the wind sweep in through the curtains. When he went to close the window he realised that the clouds were beginning to disappear and there was something shiny behind them.

His eyes went wide and he ran as quickly as he could to his bedside drawer and chugged the Wolfsbane Potion back, ignoring the taste and feeling thankful that he felt immediately calmer and wouldn't suddenly change into a massive beast in the middle of his dorm and probably kill Ron and everyone else in the tower.

When he was suffering the night away, he decided a good outlet for his pain would be to draw what he was feeling.

He drew a sad boy lying on the ground with tears down his face, he was lying in a puddle of blood and his clothes were ripped up. His hair was a mess and he has red scratches all over his body. Then hovering above him was a figure of a wolf. It was grinning malevolently down at him and it's sharp teeth were grinning and shiny underneath the bright white moonlight.

Harry wiped away his tears with his gloved hands and locked away his sketchbook, it was too much for one night. 

* * *

Harry was sitting on his bed, Ron was asleep and he had drawn his bed curtains closed, using a Sticking Charm to hold them up in place. He counted to one hundred in his head and got himself into a calm place. Soon enough, he felt the floating sensation of him leaving his bed and then he was standing inside his own head.

He remembers what his Mind Arts book had told him, the step by step instructions to learning Legillimency, if you were to try practising on your own. It would be different from the others and it might be difficult but Harry's going to push himself. It had read,

In order for a person to begin learning Legillemency, it is best if they have managed to form a clean Mindscape first. They must remove all negative thoughts and feelings before entering, perhaps even locking them behind Occlumency walls

This can be a big challenge for someone, especially a beginner and if they're young, but over time this will prove to be a big success

When they're inside their Mindscape, a person must form the image of themselves inside their head in any image. It could be from the same day, where your memories are most fresh or it can be from years ago where perhaps a significant memory stands out

They must then come face to face with themselves inside their Mindscape and find the courage to look themselves in the eye. This is where it can get tricky

Because you're already inside your own mind and can access any memory you want, it may seem impossible or pointless to look inside a visual representation of yourselves mind, too

But this is magic and anything is possible. It just implies intent

You must imagine that you are a stranger, completely unattached to the person in front of you, despite it being you. You must think back on a memory you wish to view and look intently into your own eyes as a stranger and cast the 'Legillemens' incantation, therefore entering your visual representation's mind and seeing what you wish

This will give the illusion that you have used Legillimency on someone

It would be a good idea to regularly practise this until you start to get the hang of it and begin to understand it. Some people make it seem a whole lot easier if they just imagine they have a twin

Once you've finished your Legillemency practising, it is best to either lock away stressed emotions through your Occlumency shields or calming yourself in your Mindscape, as everyone has a personal preference

Over time, you may begin to find yourself unintentionally slipping into other's minds in the real world, just as a natural born Legillimens would do as accidental magic. This is because it essentially is

You just need to learn to control it and recognise when it happens, although you should be aware considering you're seeing another's random memories that you didn't necessarily ask for

Until you feel more in control, it would be best to not always maintain strong eye contact when in a deep conversation as you may find yourself slipping in without either person's consent

Occlumency and Mindscape training comes hand in hand with this, it is highly recommended you practise and master all if you are attempting to learn Legillemency as it is the most powerful, dangerous and frowned upon Mind Art there is

Harry took a deep breath, keeping all that information in mind and looked around him. He was standing in a dark place as usual, until he mentally pictured the room lighting up and he felt more comfortable. This is his head, he can do what he wants.

He then wrung his hands together nervously before nodding to himself. He pictured a mirror and then there was one. He looked at his reflection, memorised it well and then turned away. He pictured a door and then got into the headspace as himself being some completely unattached person, then imagined _Harry_ walking through the door.

The door handle rattled a few times before the visual representation of himself wearing striped pyjama bottoms and a jumper, had messy hair and a scarred face just like his stood right in front of him. It was creepy but necessary.

At least he knew now what he looked like to other people. God, was he scrawny.

He didn't have to be scared, nothing could hurt him inside his head. He was told that one million times in the books. So, he crept closer and looked _Harry_ in the eyes, pulled his holster out his arm and pointed it at _Harry's_ face.

He imagined the day that he came here on the train. Meeting Ron and becoming his friend. Scaring away Malfoy and being amused by the twins. The fear of running at a brick wall but then being pleased when he didn't crack his skull open. Being amazed at the sight of the castle for the first time. Then happy to be sorted into Gryffindor with Ron.

"Legillimens." The real Harry cast and he felt himself being pulled slightly into the fake Harry's head, seeing a glimpse of a red scarlet train with steam, hearing a low whistle.

He gasped as he fell back and grinned to himself.

He cast again, harder this time. "Legillimens."

He felt himself get tugged deeper into fake Harry's head and he saw Hermione running around asking about toads and Malfoy running away with some boys practically screaming. He then fell back out of the memory, gasping again.

He then grinned and decided to give it one last go.

"Legillemens!" He yelled loudly. Nobody could hear, so it was fine.

He felt himself get _yanked_ until he was sitting back on the stool in the Great Hall and hearing the hat talk away in his ear. It was telling him how he's talented and how he has a good mind and a thirst to prove himself. Harry remembers hearing his voice saying he won't mind going to Slytherin but the hat shouted Gryffindor for him.

He remembers running to the Gryffindor table and talking to Percy. He remembers being disgusted by the chocolate people were eating. He remembers Dumbledore making a ridiculous speech with funny words and he remembers looking up to the High Table and seeing Professor Snape looking worriedly at him. 

He also remembers that was the first time he got those pains in his scar and it was when he'd looked over towards Quirrell. And it always continued since then, in his stupid class. And in the hallways. And that time in the forest. There's something definitely not right about that teacher.

He gasps as he's pulled out of the memory and then he's standing back inside his normal Mindscape with just the fake Harry in front of him. 

He's decided he's had enough for one night and blinks fake Harry away, then with enough willpower, he pulls himself out of his real mind and he's flopping back onto his bed, back sticky with sweat. The gloves he's remembered to wear have stopped him from slicing his palms open as he was clenching his fists so tightly.

Tonight was a weird kind of success, then.

* * *

Quirrell looked as though he was getting skinnier, paler and was stuttering more than usual, if that were even possible. Harry still felt there was something up with that man, he didn't trust the vibes he gave off.

Ron and Hermione were still set in their ways that he was being taken advantage of but Harry just wanted to scream out loud about how he knew he wasn't, because he's an animal and he has _instincts_ , for goodness sake.

Harry really didn't want to get involved, it was actually the total opposite of what he had planned for this whole thing. But because of Ron and Hermione's constant persistence and overwhelming nagging, Harry found himself joining in on their little bit of scheming to see how the Stone was doing.

He still wanted to leave it up to the adults and he still disagreed with them both on who was the real guilty person here, but Hermione just assured him that as long as they work harmoniously together and realise that the school is in threat, then they can stop it together.

He just rolled his eyes and told her to shove off and stop with the theatrics.

Ron and Hermione would continuously go back to the forbidden corridor to press their ears up against the door and listen for the dog inside, making sure it was inside and growling, clearly still protecting the Stone. They'd glare hatefully at Snape's back when they saw him but gave comforting smiles to Quirrell.

Harry, however, was the complete opposite. When Ron was telling everyone to stop making fun of Quirrell for his stutter, Harry was just thinking of the best torture methods to actually make the man talk and spill his secrets.

As the days went by, Hermione had decided she had more on her mind than the Philosopher's Stone, right now. She had started drawing up study schedules and colour coding all her notes. Ron wouldn't have minded, but she kept nagging him to do the same.

Harry smirked. He'd also been doing similar things with his own notes as he hated being in a messy state and he certainly didn't plan on failing. He wasn't a failure.

"Hermione, the exams are ages away." Ron whined at her. "How can you possibly study so much? You're as bad as him." He pointed to Harry.

"It's not ages away, Ronald. Its ten weeks." Hermione snapped. "That's like a second to Nicolas Flamel." She huffed and turned to Harry with a raised eyebrow. "Have you really been organising all your stuff, too?"

Harry just narrowed his eyes at her. "What? Did you just expect me to sit back and take a wild guess all the way through the exams, huh? I'm not an idiot, Granger." He snapped, unintentionally calling her by her last name. He saw her eyes widen and promptly ignored it.

Ron butted in before a fight could break out, as usual. "We're not six hundred years old, Hermione." He reminded her. "Anyway, what are you studying for? You already know you're going to pass."

"What am I studying for? Are you crazy?" She asked bewildered. "You realize we need to pass these exams to get into the second year? They're very important, I should have started studying a month ago, I don't know what's gotten into me..."

"Crazy, paranoid delusions." Harry mumbled under his breath.

She glared dagger at him and he ignored her, yet again.

Harry was just as stressed as her, truth be told. The teachers had piled so much homework on them during the Easter holidays and it was hard to relax with Hermione next to you reciting the twelve uses of dragon's blood or practicing wand movements.

Ron had spent most of his free time in the library with her, trying to get through all their extra work together. He'd invited Harry along and he'd only come on the days that he needed to study up on something different than what they were doing. He didn't want to actually study with her, she's just so bossy.

One day, he intentionally held out a copy of _Advanced Transfiguration_ in front of her and smirked at her shocked face. He walked off with it and soaked up everything like a sponge.

_'I'd like to see her try and beat me in exams.'_ He thought smugly.

"I'll never remember this!" Ron burst out one afternoon, throwing down his quill and looking out of the library window with a grumpy expression. He looked like he was ready to jump out of it. This was actually one of the nicest days they'd had in a few months now. The sky was a clear blue and there was a feeling in the air of summer coming.

Harry had managed his monthly cycles just fine, the drawing had helped, as well as his Mindscape exploring during it. It was like a nice relaxing therapy. He'd still been practising his Legillimency at night when Ron was asleep.

Harry has to admit, though. It really was a lot harder than the others. He's going to keep practising and see the amount of progress he's made over the past several weeks, which he's most definitely sure is a lot.

It was fun but stressful, however, Harry is not type to ever give up. Especially considering how quickly he actually has picked it up compared to what most people would ever achieve. He must just have a natural talent for it, like most things. 

He finds it a little difficult to maintain eye contact with people these days, though. He can actually feel the effects begin and when he's in a deep conversation with Ron, it's like he _knows_ what he's going to say before he even said it. 

A little bit like how he described Snape. Now he's most definitely sure the man is a Legillimens, not that he'd ever tell anyone.

He focused back on his studying, reading _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_ , and didn't look up until he heard Ron shout out loud.

"Hagrid! What are you doing in the library?"

Harry had to hide a snort at that, it was as if he was implying he couldn't read at all.

"Jus' lookin'." Hagrid said in a shifty voice that got Hermione and Ron's interest at once. "An' what're you two up ter?" He looked suddenly suspicious at them both, as usual ignoring Harry, knowing he wasn't up to anything because he's made it clear. "Yer not still lookin' fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?"

"Oh, we found out who he is ages ago." Ron said impressively. "And we know what that dog's guarding, it's the Philosopher's St-"

"Shhhh!" Hagrid looked around quickly to see if anyone was listening. "Don' go shoutin' about it, what's the matter with yeh?" He said with a frown.

"There are a few things we wanted to ask you, as a matter of fact." Asked Hermione. "It's about what's guarding the Stone apart from Fluffy-"

"SHHHH!" said Hagrid again. "Listen, come an' see me later. I'm not promisin' I'll tell yeh anythin', mind, but don' go rabbitin' about it in here. Students aren' s'pposed ter know. They'll think I've told yeh-"

"See you later, then." Ron said with a smile.

Hagrid frowned and scurried out of the library.

"Well, that was bloody rude, both of you." Harry scolded them. "Not to mention reckless and _stupid_!" He looked to Hermione this time.

"Excuse me?" She asked shocked.

"You don't just go yelling out vital things like that in a library where everyone can hear you!" He whisper shouted at her with a fierce glare. "You say you want to keep it a secret so nobody gets hurt, right? Yet, you're practically yelling it to the whole school! We're in a library, keep your voice down." He threw his hands up frustrated. "Why do you think you're so clever?"

She got teary eyed again and sniffed. "I was just trying-"

"To expose the world to your little game that you're playing?" He folded his arms. "He's clearly mad, Granger. And so am I. You're such a disappointment."

"You can't just talk to me that way!" Hermione snapped at him, but kept her voice down. 

Harry just raised an eyebrow at her. "I just did." 

There was silence for a few seconds before she picked at her fingers. "Why are you so mean?" She whispered.

"I'm not mean, we've discussed this before, remember? You're just a crybaby." He said matter of factly and went back to his reading, blocking her out.

He heard a gasping breath, as if she were trying to control tears and continued flipping through the pages. He was broken out of his reading by Ron kicking him under the table. He looked up and glared at him.

Ron was just eyeing him in shock, nudging his head towards Hermione, as if he expected him to apologise or offer comfort in some way. Harry just sighed. He would do this for his best friend. He didn't want _him_ to be upset. Plus, he was getting annoyed with the constant wheezing noises. Couldn't she do that somewhere else?

"What was he hiding behind his back?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow. 

"What?" She asked quietly, looking at him nervously.

Harry remained calm. "Hagrid. He had a book behind his back. Didn't you see it?"

"Yes..." She said, sitting up a bit straighter. 

Harry looked to Ron with raised eyebrows. "Ron?"

"Oh yeah, I never thought about that." He grinned. "Do you think it had anything to do with the Stone?"

"Hmm, it could have..." Hermione got a thoughtful expression on her face.

Great, now the attention was off of him, thank god. Even if it meant they were back to their meddling ways.

"I'm going to see what section he was in." Ron said jumping up. He came back a minute later with a pile of books in his arms and slammed them down on the table.

"What on earth is this?" Hermione asked.

"Dragons!" Ron whispered. "Hagrid was looking up stuff about dragons! Look at these. _Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland; From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper's Guide._ "

"Hagrid's always wanted a dragon, he told me so the first time I ever met him." Harry spoke up, regrettably.

"But it's against our laws." Ron said seriously. "Dragon breeding was outlawed by the Warlocks' Convention of 1709, everyone knows that. It's hard to stop Muggles from noticing us if we're keeping dragons in the back garden. Anyway, you can't tame dragons, it's dangerous. You should see the burns Charlie's got off wild ones in Romania."

"But there aren't wild dragons in Britain?" Asked Hermione.

"Of course there are." Ron nodded. "Common Welsh Green and Hebridean Blacks. The Ministry of Magic has a job hushing them up, I can tell you. Our kind have to keep putting spells on Muggles who've spotted them, to make them forget."

Harry and Hermione were both gaping at this. Dragons flying around London or Surrey? Aunt Petunia would have a heart attack. Hopefully one would land in their front garden then, Harry thought evilly.

Ron and Hermione desperately wanted to know what Hagrid was doing with a book on dragons but Harry just shrugged it off like he does with everything else. He decides to head back to the common room and told them he wanted nothing to do with it, but they followed him anyway.

"But Harry, Hagrid could be breeding dragons for all we know!" Hermione screeched. "We have to stop him."

"Not my problem." He said plainly.

"They're wild animals, Harry. They're creatures that don't deserve to be on the grounds." She huffed. 

Harry clenched his fists at that part. What right does she have to say something like that? Magical creatures have just as much rights as anyone else. 

"Shove off, Granger." He snapped.

"The school could burn down and then where will we go?" She crosses her arms.

Harry's has enough. He stopped walking on his way to the common room and turned around with a cruel smirk.

"There's plenty of other Wizardry schools, Hermione. Like Durmstrang, for example."

She gasped when she heard the name. "But that's a Dark Arts school!" She whisper shouted.

"No, it's a Wizardry school that has very strict dress code, rules and guidelines. It also has a very good educational system and teaches all different kinds of magic, even if some of it does seem quite questionable." He said, crossing his arms.

She scoffed at him. "You'd honestly be okay with going to Durmstrang Institute?" She looked around herself, taking in the scenery of the castle. "Rather than this beautiful building which teaches you magic that'll benefit you wonderfully in the future rather than negatively?"

Harry shook his head.

"No, I think what you actually meant to say is this school which has wild beasts in it that guard prized possessions from evil teachers, right Granger?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "Or school uniform colours that have us all segregated from each other?" He frowns. "Or brooms that try to commit homicide. Or teachers that now plan on burning down the very school in which is utter rubbish in the first place!" He finally yelled.

She winced and backed away from him. Ron just stayed silent, observing it all.

"You don't-"

"Shut up." Harry spoke over her. "This is why I won't be your friend. You think you know everything but you don't. There's no such thing as magic that'll benefit you negatively or positively because that's not how magic works. It's neither good or evil. It's just about intent and how you plan to use it. Believe me, _I know_." He growled at her. 

He wasn't going to tell her about his abilities as an Occlumens and Legillimens, she'd most likely rat him out. 

And he most certainly wasn't going to tell him about his status as being a werewolf. She'd never come near him again and any judgment or suspicion she had about him, she would immediately start shouting how she knew all along. He couldn't deal with that.

She just stared at him, lost for words. He was making eye contact with her and accidentally felt himself slip into her mind for a few seconds.

He saw her concern and worry for him. She seemed to think that he didn't care about Hagrid's wellbeing and didn't care if he got hurt. She also seemed to think he didn't care about the school or the people in it. She was also worried about his views on magic, based on his high opinion on Durmstrang and how he is defending all kinds of magic. It seemed as if she was a little scared of him and what kind of magic he may use.

It was only brief and he didn't want to overthink it so he managed to gain enough self control to pull himself gently out of her head and break eye contact. 

She blinked her eyes rapidly as if clearing her head and sighed. 

"Fine, think that way, do whatever you want." She glared. "I'm not exactly your biggest fan, either. And, I certainly don't plan on being your friend."

Harry pretended to tear up. "Oh no, every time you say that...I get so emotional." He wipes at his eyes. "Because I'm glad to hear it." He grins at her. 

She just growled at him, but not as impressive as his, and stormed right off. Ron stood there in the hallway, wringing his hands and looking awkward. 

"You okay?" He asked quietly.

"Fine." Harry said simply. "It's okay, Ron. Go check on your girlfriend."

Ron turned bright red and shook his head while Harry just laughed at him and ran off. He heard Ron mumble under his breath when he was around the corner.

"I never want a girlfriend...Too bloody loud." Then his footsteps walked off.

Harry was snickering, he loved winding him up.

When Harry was back in his dorm, he got out his sketchbook and looked down at the blank piece of paper. He frowned and vented out his current emotions on to it. 

He scribbled himself and Hermione facing each other on the paper. Both their faces looked blank but they each had thought bubbles coming out of their heads.

Inside Hermione's thought bubbles were the words,

_You scare me. You're weird. I can't be your friend. What's wrong with you? Why don't you help us? Why are you so mean?_

Inside Harry's thought bubbles were the words,

_You're a know it all. You don't know anything. You're so stupid. I don't like you. You're not my friend. Crybaby._

These were the things they actually said to each other and he was used to saying it and hearing it, but seeing it written down was a little bit overwhelming. Not only did he realise how much of a freak he really was if she felt this way about him, but he realised he's not the nicest boy so he probably deserves it. 

On impulse, he draws tears down both their faces, showing their emotions outwards in a rare case of vulnerability. It's his book, he can do what he wants. 

He slips the book back in his drawer and sighs. He doesn't want to just sit here and stew in his misery. He looks around himself until he sees his Cloak in his trunk and grins, putting it on. He sneaks around the castle looking for Ron, planning on jumping out and scaring him, but he sees him with Hermione and they're whispering to each other. He listens in.

"I think we should go get Harry." Ron mutters.

"Why? He doesn't care, at all. Plus, he hates me." Hermione sighs.

"That's not true, none of it." Ron says, scratching the back of his neck. "He just... doesn't know how to talk to girls?" 

Harry held in a snort. Hermione just raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously, Ronald?"

"Look-"

"No, you!" She snapped at Ron. "I am going down to Hagrid's right now and you can come with me or not. Which is it?" Ron looked conflicted as he saw her begin to walk away. "You can tell him everything when we get back." Ron's face lit up and he nodded, following after her.

Harry remained hidden behind his Cloak for a bit before following behind them quietly. He wanted to come along and get the details but he didn't want them, or her, to know he'd been participating in their little game. Plus, it'd keep Hagrid off his back.

When they reached the hut, Harry quickly snuck in with Ron and Hermione when Hagrid allowed them to come in. He was surprised to see that all the curtains were closed and the place was boiling hot. He was ready to pull the Cloak off but then remembered he couldn't. 

He sat down a distance away from them all, just silently listening in.

"Where's Harry off ter?" Hagrid asked, looking around for any sign of him. "Thought he usually hangs 'round with yer lot." 

Ron cleared his throat. "Harry's... feeling sick." 

"Yeah. Really bad. Ill in bed." Hermione said, nodding along.

Hagrid's eyes immediately went wide. "He wha'? Since when? Is that why yer here, ter come get me? I'll go get him right away!" Hagrid said worriedly and made to stand up but was blocked by Ron and Hermione at the door.

"No, it's okay. He's okay!" Ron blurted out. "I'm a bit overdramatic, sometimes." He laughed. "We were eating loads of sweets and mucking around and he ate too much so he's in bed right now until his tummy feels better. Happens to me all the time."

"All the time!" Hermione nodded. 

Hagrid just eyed them both warily and sat down. "Alrigh'. As long as he's okay."

Harry smiled underneath the Cloak. He wanted to come out from it so bad and reassure him he was fine but that would ruin everything. He hated seeing Hagrid so worried for him. He knew as soon as Ron mentioned him being ill in bed, Hagrid took that to mean some kind of werewolf business, as that's the only time that happens. It's nice to have someone who cares like that and will jump to his rescue if he needs it, without any judgment at all.

"We promise." Ron smiled and sat down, Hermione joining him.

"So, yeh wanted ter ask me somethin'?" Hagrid asked with a raised eyebrow, after a minute of silence.

"Yes." Ron said, not beating around the bush. "We were wondering if you could tell us what's guarding the Philosopher's Stone apart from Fluffy."

Hagrid frowned at him. 

"O' course I can't." Hagrid said. "Number one, I don' know meself. Number two, yeh know too much already, so I wouldn' tell yeh if I could. That Stone's here fer a good reason. It was almost stolen outta Gringotts. I s'ppose yeh've worked that out an' all? Beats me how yeh even know abou' Fluffy."

"Come on, Hagrid. You might not want to tell us, but you do know. You know everything that goes on round here." Hermione said in a flattering voice. Hagrid's beard twitched and they could tell he was smiling. "We only wondered who had done the guarding, really." Hermione went on, smiling at him. "We wondered who Dumbledore had trusted enough to help him, apart from you."

Hagrid's chest swelled at these last words and he got a slight pink flush under the big beard. Ron beamed at Hermione and Harry just raised an impressive eyebrow under the Cloak. Not that he'd ever admit to doing so.

"Well, I don' s'pose it could hurt ter tell yeh that... Let's see... He borrowed Fluffy from me... Then some o' the teachers did enchantments... Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick, Professor McGonagall." He ticked them off on his fingers. "Professor Quirrell, an' Dumbledore himself did somethin', o' course." He smiled. "Hang on, I've forgotten someone. Oh yeah, Professor Snape."

"Snape?"

"Yeah, yer not still on abou' that, are yeh?" He raised an eyebrow. "Look, Snape helped protect the Stone, he's not about ter steal it."

Harry agreed completely. In fact, the name that stood out there amongst the rest was Quirrell's. What kind of enhancements could he have put in place?

He knew Ron and Hermione were thinking the opposite of him, though. He knew they were suspecting Snape, as usual.

"You're the only one who knows how to get past Fluffy, aren't you, Hagrid?" Asked Ron, anxiously. "And you wouldn't tell anyone, would you? Not even one of the teachers?"

"Not a soul knows except me an' Dumbledore." Hagrid said proudly. 

"Well, that's something." Harry head Ron mutter to Hermione. Suddenly, Ron started pulling at his collar. "Hagrid, can we have a window open? I'm boiling."

"Can't, Ron, sorry." Hagrid said. Harry noticed him glance at the fire with a small smile. Ron and Hermione caught him and looked at it, too. 

"Hagrid, what's that?"

Harry already knew what it was, before Ron even asked the question. In the very heart of the fire, underneath the kettle, was a huge, black egg. 

"Ah..." Hagrid said, fiddling nervously with his beard. "That's, er..."

"Where did you get it, Hagrid?" Ron asked, crouching over the fire to get a closer look at the egg. "It must've cost you a fortune."

"Won it." Hagrid shrugged. "Las' night. I was down in the village havin' a few drinks an' got into a game o' cards with a stranger. Think he was quite glad ter get rid of it, ter be honest."

"But what are you going to do with it when it's hatched?" Hermione asked with wide eyes.

"Well, I've bin doin' some readin'." Hagrid said, pulling a large book from under his pillow. "Got this outta the library. _Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit._ It's a bit outta date, o' course, but it's all in here. Keep the egg in the fire, 'cause their mothers breathe on em, see, an' when it hatches, feed it on a bucket o' brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour." He said with a grin, clearly fascinated with the concept. "An' see here, how ter recognize diff'rent eggs? What I got there's a Norwegian Ridgeback. They're rare, them." He said with a smile.

He looked very pleased with himself, but Hermione didn't. 

"Hagrid, you live in a wooden house." She said with wide eyes.

But Hagrid wasn't listening. He was humming happily as he looked into the fire.

Ron and Hermione both just shared tired glances and decided to head back to the common room, Harry silently following behind them. He pretended to know nothing when Ron bombarded him with all the information he'd just learned, nodding along when appropriate. 

"What do you think Hagrid should do about the dragon?" Ron asked.

"Honestly, I've no idea Ron." Harry said shrugging. "But something always pops up."

* * *

As the days went by, Harry was growing more and more frustrated with the amount of homework he was having to complete. He was still an outstanding student, he'd never failed a class and doesn't plan to, but he's so glad he's learned how to enter his Mindscape otherwise he'd have a breakdown by now.

When they were in the Great Hall one day having lunch, Ron's dumb owl Errol flopped onto the table and dumped a letter in front of him. He blushed red from embarrassment and Harry hid his laugh in his porridge.

Ron glowered and opened up the letter. It just read,

> _It's hatching_

It was in Hagrid's messy writing and he wanted to go down to see it right away but was stopped by Harry.

"We can go after Herbology class."

"But Hagrid's egg is hatching." Ron whined like a toddler. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity."

"So is school, Ron." Harry said. "And if we miss it then we're in big trouble." 

"He's right." Hermione spoke up, without looking at him. She still didn't want to talk to him, it seemed. "We really have to pay attention in class so we don't fail exams. Hagrid's egg can wait until later. It'll still be hatching then."

Ron just pouted at them but he nodded, nonetheless. 

Harry suddenly heard a snicker and turned around, spotting Malfoy off to the distance with his eyes trained on them, then began walking away. Was he listening in. How much had he heard? Harry's going to kill him.

When Herbology class came, Ron kept whining the whole time, cursing time for going too slow. It was giving Harry a major headache.

Eventually, when they could leave, he threw down his trowel and practically ran out the class and down to Hagrid's hut with Harry and Hermione telling him to slow down as they chased him.

They were all covered in dirt but Harry just gave them all a quick wave of his wand with a grin and they were suddenly clean. Hermione huffed and looked away. Not even a thanks. Ungrateful. 

Hagrid let them all in with a smile, giving Harry a small pat on the back.

"Alrigh' there, Harry? Feelin' better?" 

"Oh, yes. Much better, thanks Hagrid." He smiled, remembering the lie Ron told him. "I won't be eating too many sweets at once, again." 

Hagrid just chuckled. "Growin' boys have got ter eat, ain't they? Jus' not too much of the chocolate, remember." He gave him a look. "I know that can really upset yer stomach." 

Harry nodded. He knew it too, it's an awful experience. Disgusting stuff. He's never heard any other eleven year old call chocolate gross before, though. He's certainly different.

"Where's the dragon, Hagrid?" Ron asked, looking around.

Hagrid grinned. "Over here." He led them over to a cracked table in his house and sitting in the middle of it was the egg. It was slowly splitting open and Hagrid was watching it with fascination.

They all drew chairs up to the table to watch what would happen. They were about to see something incredible for the first time and didn't want to miss a thing. After all, how many times in your life do you get to see a baby dragon get hatched?

After a few minutes of the egg wobbling and only light movements coming from inside it, the egg let out a massive crunching noise. It broke into little pieces and fluid poured out from it, along with a lumpy blob. Harry was confused for a moment before the blob began to get up and spread its little wings. 

_'Aw, it's a baby dragon! That's so cute.'_ Harry thought affectionately. _'No, stop. Pull yourself together.'_

He looked around him and saw Hermione and Ron's faces in awe. Hagrid's face was priceless. He was teary eyed and looked so proud.

"There he is. Isn't he beautiful?" The dragon let out a sneeze and puffs of smoke blew out from it's nose. It turned it's head around and looked up at Hagrid, flapping its wings. "See, he already recognises his Mummy!" 

Harry has to withhold a snort. It was all so ridiculously cute, he just couldn't fathom this happening to anyone except him. It's just his luck. 

Suddenly the little dragon turned it's head again and looked over towards Harry. It hopped closer to him on the table and got a good look over him. 

Harry looked over to Hagrid with wide eyes, silently asking if everything would be okay considering this is a dragon and he's a wolf, but Hagrid just nodded at him, as if saying he's okay. Harry nodded back. Hagrid's never let him down before, he's always gave him his word and kept it. He has no reason to fear this thing now.

Harry smiled at the little dragon and it flapped it wings happily, wagging its skinny tail from side to side. "You're so cute." He whispered to it. It lightly blew out a small puff of steam and bounced on the spot.

Harry got the distinctive feeling in the back of his mind that told him _'it likes you, it wants to play with you, you're not in danger.'_

He carefully reached out his hand which was covered, quite thankfully, in his dragonhide gloves like usual, and let the little creature come towards him. It flapped it's wings curiously and tried nibbling on his fingers. 

Harry laughed and ignored the heat from its breath when little puffs of steam or flame would come out. He let it chase his hand around for a couple of minutes before he gently caressed one of its wings. It was soft and leathery, but still wrinkly and gooey from being inside the egg. It was an amazing experience.

He didn't realise everyone was silent until Hagrid spoke up.

"Goodness, Harry!" He said with a bright smile. "He really likes ye, doesn't he? They never let people touch 'em, not unless they feel really safe with 'em." He said proudly.

"Well, I am quite good with animals." Harry grinned, sharing an inside joke with him. He seemed to get it because they both started laughing.

Hermione was in the middle of asking how quickly he was going to grow when suddenly Hagrid shot up out of his chair and towards the door. Harry followed him and spotted that head of blonde hair running away from the distance. 

Malfoy.

Harry knew he'd heard about the dragon and now he'd come to spy. 

"What's going on?" Hermione asked confused.

"Malfoy was spying. He ran back up to the castle." Harry said with a frown.

The mood suddenly dropped and Harry, Ron and Hermione decided to go back to their common room, giving Hagrid some space.

* * *

For the next week, Malfoy kept sending quick glances and smirks their way. It was making Harry's blood boil. He took to his sketchbook, drawing Malfoy with his hair lit up in flames caused by the dragon breathing on him. He made the flames blue for his own amusement, since every time he thought about the time he dyed his hair that colour, it brings a sadistic smile to his face. 

The three of them had continuously went back to Hagrid's and tried to talk some sense into him.

"Just let him go, Hagrid. Set him free." Harry urged him.

"I can't." Hagrid shook his head. "He's too little. He'd die."

The tiny dragon had grown three times in size in just a week. Smoke kept pouring out its nose and mouth. Hagrid hadn't been doing his gamekeeping duties because the dragon was keeping him so busy. There were empty brandy bottles and chicken feathers all over the floor. 

"I've decided to call him Norbert." Hagrid said, looking at the dragon with misty eyes. "He really knows me now, watch. Norbert! Norbert! Where's Mummy?"

"He's lost his marbles..." Ron muttered in Harry's ear. 

"Hagrid!" Harry said loudly. "Give it two weeks and Norbert's going to be as long as your house. Malfoy could go to Dumbledore at any moment." He said seriously. 

“I know I can't keep him forever, but I can't jus' dump him, I can't.” Hagrid said sadly.

Harry suddenly turned to Ron. “Charlie.”

"You're losing it, too.” Ron sighed. “I'm Ron, remember?"

"No. Charlie, your brother. The one in Romania. Studying dragons. We could send Norbert to him. Charlie can take care of him and then put him back in the wild!" He said with a smile.

"Brilliant!" said Ron. "How about it, Hagrid?"

Hagrid was still sad about the idea of losing Norbert but decided it was for the best so he nodded.

* * *

As the week went by, they all waited for Charlie’s reply through the mail. Ron came back from visiting the dragon one day and his hand was bloody and bandaged up. Harry pinched his nose to keep away the scent.

“The dragon bit me! Hagrid thinks it’s a fluffy little bunny but it chewed right through my hand.” Ron mumbled, heading to the bathroom to clean up.

Harry just nodded sympathetically, not looking in his direction.

After a while, there was a knock on their window and a hooting noise. It was Hedwig.

Harry let her in and there was a letter attached to her leg. He smiled at her as he took it from her and she took off.

“It’s your brother’s reply.” He told Ron, who came up to read it.

> _Dear Ron,_
> 
> _How are you? Thanks for the letter. I'd be glad to take the Norwegian Ridgeback, but it won't be easy getting him here. I think the best thing will be to send him over with some friends of mine who are coming to visit me next week. Trouble is, they mustn't be seen carrying an illegal dragon_
> 
> _Could you get the Ridgeback up the tallest tower at midnight on Saturday? They can meet you there and take him away while it's still dark_
> 
> _Send me an answer as soon as possible_
> 
> _Love,_
> 
> _Charlie_

Harry looked to Ron. “We’ve got the Invisibility Cloak.” He grinned. “Want to try it out?”

Ron’s face lit up and he nodded.

However, by the next day, Ron’s hand had swelled to twice it’s size and he was cooped up in the hospital wing in pain.

“My hand feels like it’s about to fall off.” He said with a sad voice. Then suddenly his eyes got wide. “By the way, Malfoy walked by earlier and kept poking his head through the door. I think he wanted to have a good laugh at me.” He scowled. “Then he kept threatening to tell Pomfrey what really bit me. I've told her it was a dog, but I don't think she believes me.”

“Why is he doing this?” Hermione asked with a frown.

“Because he’s a prat, that’s why!” Ron snapped.

Harry and Hermione tried to calm Ron down so he wouldn’t blow up.

"It'll all be over at midnight on Saturday.” Hermione said.

He just nodded.

Eventually, Madam Pomfrey ushered them both out the hospital wing to allow Ron to get some rest.

On Saturday night, Norbert was due to be picked up. The sky was dark and cloudy so he’d be hidden perfectly where nobody could see.

It was nearly midnight and Hagrid already had him in a cage by and was weepy.

“He's got lots o' rats an' some brandy fer the journey.” He said in a muffled voice. "An' I've packed his teddy bear in case he gets lonely.”

From inside the crate came ripping noises that sounded to Harry as though the teddy was having his head torn off. He shared a look with Hermione.

"Bye-bye, Norbert!" Hagrid sobbed, as Harry and Hermione covered the crate with the Invisibility Cloak and stepped underneath it themselves. "Mummy will never forget you!"

Harry doesn’t know how they managed to get the crate back up to the castle other than with sheer determination. His arms felt like they were about to fall off. Midnight ticked nearer as they heaved Norbert up the giant staircase in the entrance hall and along the dark corridors.

Up another staircase, then another and even one of Harry's shortcuts didn't make the work much easier. Hermione was just groaning in pain the entire time and he felt a little bit of pity for her.

This was certainly easier on him because he has slightly increased strength as he’s a werewolf, but he’s still young and small. She’s fully human, however. She’s a tiny little girl. So he did the chivalrous thing and took most of the weight, though he’d never admit it.

"Nearly there!" Harry panted as they reached the corridor beneath the tallest tower. 

Then a sudden movement ahead of them made them almost drop the crate. Forgetting that they were already invisible, they shrank into the shadows, staring at the dark outlines of two people bickering to each other. Then a lamp flared. 

Professor McGonagall, in a tartan bathrobe and a hair net, had Malfoy by the ear. 

“Detention!" She shouted at him. "And twenty points from Slytherin! Wandering around in the middle of the night, how dare you!”

"You don't understand, Professor. Harry Potter's coming and he's got a dragon!" Malfoy whined.

"What utter rubbish! How dare you tell such lies! Come on, I shall see Professor Snape about you, Malfoy!" She growled.

Harry withheld a snort and Hermione’s eyes were blown wide. They both looked to each other for a second before nearly bursting out into laughter.

“That was brilliant.” She said. “I wish I could have taken a picture of that.”

“Me too. But we have to go right now.” He told her, moving back out the shadows. She nodded and they continued on their way.

After about ten minutes, they finally got there. Charlie's friends were a cheery lot. They showed Harry and Hermione the harness they'd rigged up, so they could suspend Norbert between them. 

They all helped buckle Norbert safely into it and then Harry and Hermione shook hands with the others and thanked them very much.

They watched as Norbert flew away, further and further, until he disappeared completely into the dark clouds.

Harry quickly grabbed his Cloak and they slipped back down the spiral staircase feeling one hundred pounds lighter. Whether that was from no longer having to worry about the dragon or literally carrying it around, Harry didn’t care. 

“Well, this was fun.” Hermione said when they were halfway down the stairs.

Harry shrugged. “And stupidly reckless. I never want to do something like this again.” He said, eyeing her.

“Then why did you do it?”

“For Hagrid.” When she raised her eyebrows, he sighed. “I knew Hagrid before I came to school. Just for a little bit. And he’s helped me a lot with some personal things, he still is.”

“What personal things?” She asked curious.

“Did you not just hear me say personal?” He raised an eyebrow. She blushed and looked away. “He’s there for me when I need it, as well as some other teachers.” He could tell she was interested to know more but he wasn’t going to tell her. “I wouldn’t want Hagrid to get hurt, have his house burned down or have him sent to jail. It’s the least I could do.” 

She bit her lip and nodded after a few seconds. “Alright, then.”

He said no more and they continued walking down the large staircase in silence.

_‘Now that there’s no more dragon and Malfoy’s in detention, what could possibly spoil my happiness right now?’_ Harry thought cheerfully to himself.

The answer to that was waiting at the foot of the stairs. As they stepped into the corridor, Filch's face loomed suddenly out of the darkness. He had a nasty grin and his stinky cat hissed as soon as it sniffed Harry. 

He quickly threw his Cloak over himself before she could actually spot him, though. He completely forgot about Hermione standing right beside him. He felt a little bad but it was too late now. Filch has already seen her and there’s nothing he can do. 

_‘Liar. There’s nothing you want to do...’_ a distant voice spoke up in the back of his head.

Maybe it was right. 

"Well, well, well.” Filch whispered to her, looking evil. "We are in trouble, aren’t we?” Mrs Norris just hissed at Hermione who took a step back, gulping. 

She was looking around for any signs of Harry, as if he’d come out and rescue her, but clearly thought he’d taken off and left her. She looked angry and scared. 

He just walked away, unnoticed under his Cloak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3


	12. Mischief In The Forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A detention in the woods, hooded figures and mentoring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For someone who’s writing on an iPad which is very different from a phone and it’s hurting my wrists, I’m actually incredibly proud of myself for still keeping up regular updates AND making my chapters EXTRA long.
> 
> They’re usually about 5/6k but these past few days they’ve been 7/8k. 
> 
> I also had to write all my notes down that I lost on my phone onto paper that I keep on my bedside table lmfao. 
> 
> But here you go, another chapter already! There’s probably going to be about roughly three chapters left of this book before we go onto the third book, “Snakes And The Moon” (the chamber of secrets au)
> 
> So keep subscribed for that ❤️

Harry listened as Hermione got dragged away. She kept whimpering and jumping away from Mrs Norris, who insisted on biting at her ankles. He got curious as to what her punishment would be and desperately wanted to know if she'd rat him out. After all, he definitely would if the situation were reversed. 

He followed them quietly from a distance, noticing she was getting led in the direction of Professor McGonagall's office. When they were there, he was surprised to see Neville standing there shaking. 

He looked up from the floor when he heard footsteps. "Hermione! It's you." He sighed. "I was trying to find you to warn you because I heard Malfoy saying he was going to catch you and Harry. He said you had a drag-"

He was cut off by Hermione quickly shaking her head. "Nope, no dragon here, see?" She smiled innocently. 

"Where is Mr Potter exactly?" McGonagall asked with a raised eyebrow. Neville was about to answer, probably say he was out of his dorm when Hermione butted in.

"He's obviously asleep. Right Neville?" She raised an eyebrow. "Harry's not the kind of person to sneak out of bed. Malfoy is just trying to start a fight by pretending he's running around the castle."

Neville caught her hard stare and he slowly nodded. "Yeah, he's in bed. Fast asleep."

Harry let out a sigh of relief. He'd have to thank him later for that. 

"That does seem like Potter. He's a good boy, after all. Definitely not the kind to go galavanting around in the middle of the night like a muppet." She looked to both Neville and Hermione with frowns. "I would never have believed it of either of you. Mr. Filch says you were up in the astronomy tower, Granger. It's one o'clock in the morning. Explain yourself." 

She cowered back. "Well, I, um..." This seemed to be the first time she couldn't ever answer a teacher's question.

"I think I've got a good idea of what's been going on." Professor McGonagall said. "It doesn't take a genius to work it out. You fed Draco Malfoy some ridiculous story about a dragon, trying to get him out of bed and into trouble." She raised an eyebrow. 

"Well..."

"And in turn, he brought Potter into it when we all know that boy wouldn't do something as ridiculous as this." She sighed. "Children, always causing trouble!"

"But Professor-"

"I've already caught him. I suppose you think it's funny that Longbottom here heard the story and believed it, too?" 

Hermione's eyes went wide, just now realising why he was out of bed. 

She was trying to catch Neville's eye to tell him without words that it wasn't true, because Neville was looking stunned and hurt. Harry felt quite bad for him, he didn't deserve to get dragged into this. He knows how much courage this must have taken to come and fetch McGonagall for them and now he's in trouble for it.

"That's really not-" Hermione was cut off again by a mad looking Professor.

"I'm disgusted." Snapped McGonagall. "Three students out of bed in one night! I've never heard of such a thing before! You, Miss Granger, I thought you had more sense. As for you, Mr. Longbottom, I thought you were better than this and liked to keep out of trouble." She said displeased. "The both of you will receive detentions. Nothing gives you the right to walk around school at night, especially these days, it's very dangerous. And fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor." 

Hermione and Neville's eyes went wide. 

"Fifty?" Neville whispered in shock, wringing his hands nervously.

Harry was fuming under his Cloak. They would lose the lead, the lead he'd won in the last Quidditch match. 

"Fifty points each." Professor McGonagall frowned, breathing heavily through her long, pointed nose. 

That's one hundred points gone. Harry was clenching his hands so tightly.

"Professor, please-" Neville whimpered.

"You can't-" Hermione begged.

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Granger. Now get back to bed, both of you. I've never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students."

"But that's so unfair!" Hermione shrieked. 

McGonagall just glared at her. "Another fifty points!" She snapped. Neville just sniffed, clearly on the verge of crying and Hermione just gulped, nodding. They both took off for the tower and Harry followed silently behind them, doing his best to remain calm.

One hundred and fifty points lost. That put Gryffindor in last place. In one night, they'd ruined any chance Gryffindor had had for the house cup. Harry felt as though his heart had dropped out of his stomach. How could they ever make up for this?

He was glad he wasn't caught and blamed for anything though, considering what happened when everyone found out in the morning at breakfast.

At first, the Gryffindors who passed the giant hourglasses that recorded all the house points thought there'd been a mistake. How could they suddenly have a hundred and fifty points fewer than yesterday?

And then the story started to spread. Know it all Hermione Granger and clumsy Neville Longbottom had lost them all those points, all because they wanted to play like children in the middle of the night.

From being two students who were finally beginning to fit in to their house and make friends, they were both suddenly the most hated people in Gryffindor. It wasn't even just their own house, it was by the others too. The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs turned on them, all because everyone had been longing to see Slytherin lose the house cup and now they'd ruined any chances they'd had.

Everywhere Hermione and Neville went, people pointed and didn't bother to lower their voices as they insulted them. Slytherins, on the other hand, clapped as they walked past them, whistling and cheering.

"Thanks Granger, we owe you one!"

"You're finally good for something, Longbottom!"

The only people who stood by them were Ron and Harry. Well, Harry more for Neville's sake but he wouldn't say so. 

"They'll all forget this in a few weeks." Ron reassured them both in the common room when Hermione was teary eyed. Neville cried himself to sleep every night and neither boy could find any words to comfort him. "Fred and George have lost loads of points in all the time they've been here and people still like them."

"They've never lost one hundred and fifty points in one go, though, have they?" Asked Hermione miserably. 

"Well, no..." Ron admitted awkwardly. Neville just whimpered and ran up to their dorm and slammed the door shut. Hermione just sniffed. "I'll go see if he's okay." Ron said after a minute of silence.

Harry and Hermione were left sitting alone and she looked at him. "Where did you go?" 

"What do you mean?" He asked innocently.

"When we got off the staircase. You just vanished." She said with wide eyes. "Where'd you go? You were standing right beside me." 

"I walked away before Filch came." Harry bluffed. It technically was true. He walked away before he caught sight of him. "I wanted to get back to my dorm, I was tired." He then acted confused. "I was wondering where you were on my way back but I just figured you went to the girl's bathroom or something."

She eyed him warily and sighed deeply. "Okay. Well, you obviously know that's not what happened." 

"Yeah. I'm just thankful I wasn't there." He said with a relieved expression. When she looked at him, he elaborated. "Then we may have lost more points." She nodded in understanding. 

_'I'm also glad I wasn't there so I'm not made a social outcast because this certainly seems embarrassing for you.'_ He thought quite selfishly but relieved to himself.

* * *

The exams were about to start soon and Harry was studying more than ever. He was constantly locking himself away in the library now, studying Charms and Transfiguration work vigorously. History of Magic had him stressed out and Herbology had him bored. Defense work was easy for him. He had Potions spot on, though. He knew he'd pass it, no problem.

He'd spoken to Professor Snape about extra tutoring, just in case, and he told him that he may be able to arrange something, considering he shows a genuine interest and appears to be able to brew things that are far beyond his year level. Apparently, these were the things he himself was doing at his age and now he's the youngest Potions Master in all of Great Britain.

Harry found that so interesting, he'd really like to get a mastery in Potions one day. This peaked Professor Snape's interest and he promised him that if he passes his exam, he'll grant him access to his personal stores and his classroom next year in order to brew when needed. He'll also teach him how to make his own Wolfsbane Potion for when he's graduating school. 

Almost like he's going to be his mentor. Harry doesn't mind the idea. Plus, this means he could brew poison and slip it into Malfoy's food. Kidding... 

Every few days during his lunch break or on the weekend, Harry went down into Snape's office with him and they would both work on studying together. Harry would have Snape quiz him on Potions, stuff that they were already brewing and would be asked about in the exams and he asked him about more advanced things. Harry got it right every time.

They were sitting in silence, Harry scribbling notes on parchment and Snape marking student's homework with a scowl when Harry spoke up.

"Sir, do we ever get to learn how to brew Wolfsbane Potion?" He asked curiously.

"That's pretty advanced stuff and only the sixth years and above who take Advanced Potions learn that during their exams." He raised an eyebrow. "I take it you'll be wanting to join this class in the future?" Harry just gave him a look that said _well, duh!_ Snape nodded.

"But you can teach it to me earlier, right?" Harry asked with raised eyebrows. "Because you said I'm brewing far beyond my year level."

Snape hummed. "You are. And I can most certainly teach you if you prove you have the brains and determination to succeed."

Harry just scowled at him. "I most certainly _do!_ " 

Snape put down his quill and turned to him. "Good. Remember that. Let nobody tell you otherwise, understand?" 

Harry just nodded. "Okay."

"Good. Besides, learning to brew it will definitely come in useful for when you graduate school." 

Harry agreed with him. 

They sat in silence for another couple of minutes, but it wasn't awkward. They both liked the calm and quiet that way. I guess that's why they both seemed to enjoy each other's company. At first, Harry always felt nervous to ask questions but Snape assured him that he could ask as much as he wanted and he'd answer honestly, so long as his questions were genuine, which Harry's always were.

"Sir, in our third year, we're supposed to learn all about werewolves, right?" He asked quietly.

Snape looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you knew this. It's part of your Defense Against the Dark Arts studies." 

"I do. It's just..." He sighed and shrugged it off just like he does with everything. "Never mind. It's not important."

Snape put down his quill and fully turned to him. "It is clearly important if you had to bring it up in the first place." Harry was about to object but he just cut him off. "Speak." 

Harry sighed. "As much a I hate to admit it, Granger is a whole lot smarter than I gave her credit for. She's still a know it all but she definitely suspects something is wrong with me. She was talking about me to Ron, I heard her." He scoffed. 

"Saying what?"

"She was saying that I sound like an animal and she gets creeped out by me." He threw his hands up. "What if she figures out what I am?" He asks worriedly.

Snape just sighs. "I'm not going to disagree with you on the know it all part. However, all she could have are suspicious of you, no proof." He frowned. "I would imagine it should be difficult for her to figure out your true identity as it's only mentioned in a rare number of books." 

Harry just nodded, feeling somewhat relived. But then he remembered. "Percy Weasley found out." 

Snape's eyes went wide. "When?"

"Months ago. He pulled me aside to make sure I was okay and he promised not to tell. I think I believe him." He sighed. "It makes sense he'd figure it out since his brother works with magical creatures and he's passed his exams that talk about my kind."

Snape rubbed his eyes and nodded. "Well, since it is Mr Weasley's job as a Prefect to report back details like this to the faculty and we have not yet heard anything from him, I can assure you he's probably genuine in keeping his word."

"Good." Harry mumbled. "Or I'll curse him..."

"What was that?"

"Nothing." Harry smiled innocently. He had a strong feeling Snape heard him though, based on the way he was glowering at him.

He then looked down at his hands and nodded approvingly. "I see you've been wearing your gloves frequently. Have they been helping?"

"Very much. They're really...handy." He grinned. Snape just rolled his eyes. "What? They are! They stopped me from slicing myself up so that's good." He said genuinely. 

"And what do people say when they see you wearing gloves in the middle of spring?" 

Harry just shrugged. "I tell people I have OCD and I'm scared of germs." When Snape just stared at him with a shocked expression he snorted. "Kidding. I tell people I have cold hands."

Snape scoffed. "From one extreme to the other. Physical illness to mental illness. I don't know which one I'd prefer." He mumbled.

"Well, to be honest sir, I think it's a bit embarrassing having a phobia of the moonlight." Harry raised an eyebrow. "Besides, I'm a young boy. I'm not supposed to be that hairy yet." He grinned.

"Okay!" Snape said in a loud voice and spun around, going back to marking student's homework with another scowl. Harry just laughed at him, glad to have made him uncomfortable.

Hardy decided to get up and leave, having enough potioneering for one day.

* * *

About a week before the exams were due to start, Harry, Ron and Hermione were walking back to the common room one afternoon when they heard somebody whimpering from a classroom up ahead. As they drew closer, they heard Quirrell's voice. 

"No, no, not again, please."

Harry's eyebrows rose up.

It sounded as though someone was threatening him. The three of them shared a look and they moved closer. 

"All right, all right." They heard Quirrell sob.

The next second, Quirrell came hurrying out of the classroom straightening his turban. He was pale and looked as though he was about to cry. He strode out of sight and Harry didn't think Quirrell had even noticed them.

They waited until Quirrell's footsteps had disappeared, then peered into the classroom. It was empty, but a door was open at the other end. Ron and Hermione were halfway toward it before he reminded them about all the house points Hermione had lost them. 

"But, lets just take a quick look." She whispered.

"No!" He snapped. "Because then you're going to start you're big tripe about how Professor Snape is at it again, right?" 

She just crossed her arms. "Why are you always defending him?"

"Why are you always against him?"

"The proof clearly adds up to Snape-"

"Being an innocent man." Harry finished with a glare.

"But Quirrell-"

"Is the real issue here." He snapped. "That guy makes me feel weird, gives me headaches and radiates uncomfortable vibes. I have incredibly good instincts. There's something not right about him." 

"You're completely pointless to talk to." She rolled her eyes. 

"Excuse me?" Harry growled.

Ron just stood back and wrung his hands awkwardly, like he always did during their fights. 

"You're the one who gives off uncomfortable vibes, here!" She snapped. 

Harry rubbed his head and sighed. "Actually, scratch what I said before. It's you who's giving me the headaches!"

"I'm sorry?" Hermione shrieked.

"Apology not accepted." Harry snapped.

Ron just hung his head. 

"You can't talk to me that way!"

"I just did, Granger." Harry said plainly. "Now listen. I've known Professor Snape since before I even came to school, as well as Hagrid and Professor Dumbledore." She raised her eyebrows curiously. "They've been helping me with some personal problems that are incredibly sensitive to me and I won't just turn my back on someone like that."

"But-" 

"No buts!" He yelled and stormed off. He heard Ron shouting for him but didn't turn back once. He stopped when he was around the corner and listened in.

"He is such a prat!" Hermione yelled.

"That's my best friend you're talking about." Ron's voice got a bit tight. 

"I'm sorry Ron, but he is. Plus there's just something off about him. Don't you sense it?" She asked worriedly. "It's like he has some shady past or something. Some weird secrets..."

Ron just sighed. "Harry's always been a really quiet and private person, that's all. But he's a good friend and that's what counts."

Harry's heart warmed at the words. He's so lucky to have a friend like Ron in his life, he doesn't know where he'd be without him right now. Well, probably in bed. 

"Whatever." Hermione's irritated voice spoke up. "I'm going down to the library again, are you coming?"

"Why are you going back down?" Ron asked confused.

"Take a look at that door." They both looked at the open door in the room where Quirrell was whimpering by. "If Quirrell's told Snape how to break his Anti Dark Force spell-"

"Snape's done it, then!" Ron gasped. 

"There's still Fluffy, though." Said Hermione. 

"Maybe Snape's found out how to get past him without asking Hagrid." Ron said with wide eyes. They both immediately took off for the library and Harry let out a scowl. He couldn't believe Ron was letting himself get manipulated by this wicked witch like this. 

He didn't have his Cloak with him so he cast the strongest Notice Me Not charm he could on himself and silently followed them into the library. He stuck to the shadows as he listened in. 

They were both looking up at the thousands of books surrounding them.

"I bet there's a book somewhere in here telling you how to get past a giant three headed dog. So what do we do, Ronald?"

Ron just sighed and scratched the back of his neck. "Harry would probably say just forget about it."

"Well who cares what he thinks? He's not even here." She snapped.

Ron threw up his hands. "Go to Dumbledore? That's what we should have done ages ago. If we try anything ourselves we'll be thrown out for sure."

"But we've got no proof!" Hermione moaned. "Quirrell's too scared to back us up. Snape's only got to say he doesn't know how the troll got in at Halloween and that he was nowhere near the third floor. Who do you think they'll believe, him or us?

"Well-"

"It's not exactly a secret we hate him, Dumbledore'll think we made it up to get him sacked. Filch wouldn't help us if his life depended on it, he's too friendly with Snape, and the more students get thrown out, the better, he'll think. And don't forget, we're not supposed to know about the Stone or Fluffy. That'll take a lot of explaining." She said in a rush.

Ron just looked nervous.

It seemed neither wanted to agree on an idea and kept bickering with one another. Harry just rolled his eyes at them and walked out the library carefully, cancelling the spell on himself and finally heading up to the tower.

* * *

The following morning at breakfast, Hermione and Neville both received matching letters. They opened them and inside it read, 

> _Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight_
> 
> _Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall_
> 
> _**Professor McGonnagal** _

"Oh, I completely forgot about this!" Hermione whined.

Harry hid his smirk in his cereal. He felt bad for Neville, sure. But this girl had it coming. She wasn't quick enough to hide when Filch was coming and got herself caught so that's her fault. Plus, this'll teach her to mind her attitude.

He half expected Hermione to start complaining that this was a whole night of studying lost, but she didn't say a word more, much to his relief. She just sat there sulking.

Snape had ran into him later on in the day and asked him for his assistance with gathering some potions. Harry immediately agreed.

"What kind do you need, sir?"

"I'm looking for some Aconite. Although it can be pretty poisonous to touch their leaves so I'd recommend keeping your gloves on."

Harry nodded. "Okay. When will we go?"

"I was thinking, perhaps tonight. I've got lots of marking to do today but we'll go out when the sky is bright. It'll be easy to spot them, they're bright blue."

"That sounds fine." Harry agreed. "Do you want me to meet you outside your office?" 

"Eleven o'clock, yes." He nodded then spun around, walking down the hallway with his robes flowing behind him. Harry withheld a snort at how dramatic it looked.

When he was sitting in the common room studying, he didn't bother telling anyone what he was planning on doing. They'd just jump to conclusions and think Snape was either trying to kidnap him or corrupt him. 

So, when eleven o'clock came that night, Harry made up the excuse that he was going to a teacher's class for notes, saying he had permission to be out at this time, whilst Neville and Hermione headed to their detention. He walked with them in silence until they broke up in different directions. 

When Harry reached Snape's office, he knocked lazily on the door a couple of times. When nobody answered, he sighed and leaned back against the door, shutting his eyes. Suddenly he felt himself fall backwards and let out a surprised yelp. He landed on something firm behind him and felt hands grabbing at his sides, yanking him back on to his feet.

"Silly boy! What would have happened if I hadn't caught you? You'd have cracked your head open." Snape's frustrated voice said.

Harry just frowned at him. "I'm not silly. I'm tired."

They just glared at each other before huffing and walking on. They're as bad as each other, two peas in a pod. Can hold glares and grudges for a lifetime. 

Harry smirked as he saw Snape holding a bucket with two pairs of garden shears inside. He looked so ridiculous.

They walked out to the entrance hall and were surprised to see Filch with Neville, Hermione and Malfoy. 

He was grinning at them evilly. 

"I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?" He said, leering at them. "Oh yes... Hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me... It's just a pity they let the old punishments die out... Hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days, I've got the chains still in my office, keep 'em well oiled in case they're ever needed... Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do."

Snape walked up to them and cleared his throat. "Mr Filch, is that really any way to talk to children? Surely you'll give them nightmares."

"It's the least these cretins deserve." 

Snape just sighed. "Onward." 

They marched off across the dark grounds. Neville kept sniffing and wringing his hands nervously. Hermione kept trying to catch his eye and he just shrugged lazily at her, uncaring. Malfoy just looked grumpy. Harry wondered what their punishment was going to be. It must be something really horrible, or Filch wouldn't be sounding so delighted. 

The moon was bright above their heads. It wasn't a full moon, that was a few days away yet and he had to start taking his potions soon. But the half moons were nice to be around, these days. The Wolfsbane Potion had stopped the moonlight from burning harshly at his skin on nights like this which was a blessing. 

The clouds were covering it up every now and again, sometimes throwing them into darkness. Ahead, Harry could see the lighted windows of Hagrid's hut. Then they heard a distant shout. 

It was Hagrid.

If that meant they'd be spending their detention with him then it couldn't be that bad surely. The relief showed on Hermione and Neville's faces and Filch caught them. 

"I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf? Well, think again, children. It's into the forest you're going and I'm much mistaken if you'll all come out in one piece." He grinned.

At this, Neville let out a little moan, Hermione gasped and Malfoy stopped dead in his tracks. 

"The forest?" He repeated with wide eyes. "We can't go in there at night! Are you mad? There are all sorts of things in there. Dangerous plants and wild beasts." He cringed. "Even werewolves, I heard." 

Neville clutched the sleeve of Hermione's robe and made a choking noise. 

"Werewolves?" He whimpered.

Harry gulped and felt himself start to sweat slightly. He was feeling a little degraded right now. He clenched his gloved hands tightly.

"That's your problem, isn't it?" Said Filch, his voice cracking with glee. "Should've thought of them werewolves before you got in trouble, shouldn't you?"

"Enough, all of you!" Snape finally snapped at them. "Mr Malfoy, in case you are unaware, werewolves only transform during full moon nights." He looked up to the sky. "And is it a full moon night? No."

"He's righ'!" Hagrid spoke up firmly. "There's nothin' ter worry about, yer safe with me. Nothin' is going ter hurt you." He nodded and Malfoy scowled whilst Hermione and Neville looked a little more at ease. 

Hagrid caught Harry's glance and gave him a comforting smile which Harry appreciated.

He was glad to have people who would stick up for him like this, he'd probably just stand there and let himself be unknowingly made fun of the entire time if they hadn't said anything because he was too anxious and embarrassed to say anything.

"Whatever..." Malfoy mumbled.

"Look there." Hagrid said to them all, ignoring him. "You see that stuff shinin' on the ground? Silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood. There's a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat. This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We're gonna try an' find the poor thing. We might have ter put it out of its misery."

Harry's heart dropped. He felt so bad for the poor thing, it didn't deserve that, he wanted to help it. But at the same time, he didn't exactly want to stick around and witness it either. It's giving him upset feelings.

As if reading his thoughts, which should now be impossible, Snape just put a gentle hand on his shoulder and held up the bucket with his other.

"As you can tell, we're here for another reason." He raised an eyebrow to Hagrid who just smiled and nodded.

"What are you doing..." Hermione asked with a frown.

"We're going gardening, Granger. Got a problem with that?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow. 

She just looked between them both and shook her head, gulping.

Snape led him in the opposite direction and Harry could distantly hear Malfoy yelling about taking Fang into the forest with him.

When they were completely out of earshot, Snape spoke up. "What on Earth was that back there?"

"Trust me, you don't want to know." Harry shook his head. 

Snape just eyed him warily but let it go. They continued walking through the forest until they saw something blue on the ground. It was a bunch of Aconite plants.

"Whoa, that's so cool." Harry said crouching down. 

Snape handed him a pair of shears and put on a pair of gloves before carefully snipping at some of the petals. Harry did the same. They didn't bother with the leaves at all, Harry knew they weren't important in any kind of potion making.

"You never told me why you wanted my help, sir." Harry said with a raised eyebrow. "As fun as this is, couldn't you manage with one pair of hands?"

Snape just smirked slightly. "Well, you didn't refuse." Harry just huffed. "However, you said you wanted to learn how to brew Wolfsbane Potion?" 

"Yeah?"

"You've got to learn how to collect the plants first." Snape raised an eyebrow. 

Harry was confused for a moment before nodding. This was a mentoring session, then. That's why they're out tonight, that's why he asked for his help, that's why he's helping him cut up Aconite. He's going to help him brew Wolfsbane, hopefully well enough so he can actually drink it in a few days.

Harry continued cutting up the petals carefully and set them into the bucket. It was filled up a couple inches high.

"Is that enough?"

"Just a little more. Let's spread out wide, see if you can spot some more plants." He gave Harry a small bag. "Collect as many as you can in here, don't be more than half an hour. Send up silver sparks if you find any." He said and walked off into another direction.

Harry lit up his wand with a Lumos and scanned the ground. He walked for a little bit in only his own silence. He spotted mushrooms, twigs, leaves and dirt. 

Even a random snake that hissed at him.

**"Watch where you're going!"**

**"Oh, sorry."** Harry said apologetically when he nearly tread on it's tail. The snake eyed him up when he spoke. **"Yeah, I speak."**

**"Fascinating. You two legged creatures always amaze me."** It laughed and shook it's head, slithering away. 

**"What do you mean?"** He asked confused. 

**"You're not the first to come here. Especially as of recent."** The snake tilted its skinny head. **"But you always cause such a ruckus."**

**"That might be because some of the kids at school like to get up to pranks."** He said with a frown. 

**"Nope, no children. Big and tall humans! They come in here, eat and kill our sacred animals."**

Suddenly, red sparks went off in the distance, up into the sky and Harry's eyed went wide. He knew it wasn't Snape because he specified silver therefore it must be Hagrid.

**"What the..."**

The snake sighed and lifted its head, giving a little sniff. **"Somewhere over that way, I think."** It nodded it's head in a similar distance towards the sparks and Harry's eyes widened. The snake then slithered off quickly, but Harry heard its final words. **"Stinky dog boy..."**

He clamped a hand over his mouth to hold in a laugh. Snakes are ridiculous creatures. They each have such unique personalities and quirks, Harry's upset that so many people look down on them. 

_'But what did it mean when it said that a human came in and ate their creatures? Was it a person that came in and hurt the unicorn? Who was it?'_ Harry thought to himself concerned. 

He follows the direction the snake sent him off to, forgetting about the Aconite for now considering he doesn't see any. Snape will collect most of it, he always does. It takes him a little while to catch up to the destination but he's not going to back out now.

He keeps his wand close to his chest and keeps a spell on the tip of his tongue if anything goes awry. As he's walking, it's getting a bit darker so he casts a very powerful Lumos Maxima, a spell he'd read about in a book that was for upper years. He grins to himself in success.

Suddenly, something smacks right into him and he _growls,_ pushing it away. It flops to the ground. It's Hermione. She gulps and stands up back up. "Did you just-"

"No." He said, calming his temper. Now was not the time to freak her out. "Sore throat. Why are you here? You should be with the others."

"You should be with Snape." She challenged.

"We've split up, we're looking for plants. Two hands are better than one." He shrugged.

Suddenly, Harry heard footsteps behind them. He held out his wand but it was only Malfoy scowling.

"Kissing your girlfriend up a tree, Potter?" He smirked. 

Hermione blushed angrily but Harry just stood tall. "You'll be kissing my fist Malfoy, if you don't shut up." Suddenly, Fang jumped up on him with his tail wagging and Harry gave him a pat. "Where's Hagrid and Neville?"

Malfoy looked shocked that he'd been told off and Fang rejected him but Hermione spoke over him before he could start whining. "We also split up, we're looking for the unicorn." 

Harry got thoughtful. "Perhaps try that way." He pointed to the direction he was already going in. "After all, the thing that's doing these attacks wouldn't want it to be so far out in the open, right?" 

She just nodded and they both took off, Malfoy following behind them sulking. 

They walked for a little while, Harry's Lumos being the brightest and he grinned at Hermione's jealous face. Then they heard it. There was a wheezing noise and some whimpering. When they got a little closer, Harry's heart hurt. There was the unicorn and it was bleeding out from its neck, clearly having just died. 

_'But if it just died right now, what killed it?'_ He wondered to himself confused, looking around.

The answer came to him a second later when a bush off to side started shivering. Then suddenly, a hooded figure came out of the shadows and was crawling across the ground like something from a horror movie.

Harry, Hermione, Malfoy and even Fang stood in shock. The cloaked figure reached the unicorn, lowered its head over the wound in the animal's neck and began to drink its blood, making snarling and gulping noises. 

It reminded Harry an awful lot of himself when he was in one of his episodes, as he liked to call them. He began to feel extremely sick. That is until he began _screaming._

Malfoy let out a yelp and bolted, Fang whimpering and running off, too. Hermione grabbed at Harry and tried to keep him upright as he clutched at his head which was now burning. 

"Harry! Are you alright? What's wrong? We have to go!" She tried dragging him but he couldn't move. His knees kept buckling and he kept collapsing to the ground.

The hooded figure raised its head and looked right at Harry, unicorn blood dribbling down it's front. It got to its feet and came swiftly towards him and he couldn't move due to fear. 

Hermione was still trying to move him but he knew it'd be no use, he was seeing black dots and there'd be no way she could carry him. 

"Go..." He whispered to her. She looked at him in shock. "Just run, leave me." He said seriously. He may not like her very much but he didn't want the girl to die because of him. 

She still stood by his side, though. "Don't be daft, I'm not leaving you here with that!" 

The pain in his head was like his scar were on fire and his head was splitting open.

It wasn't even his werewolf scars which he was used to. It was that stupid one on his forehead. The one that hurt every time he was in Quirrell's class, but this time it hurt more than ever. He thought he was about to die. 

He felt himself tear up. He wanted to desperately lash out, rip the gloves off and dig his claws into whatever monstrosity was doing this to him. Sink his own teeth into it's neck and see how it liked it. But he didn't want to lower himself to that standard unless it was absolutely necessary. 

It was still a far away distance and moving slowly, if it laid it's hands on him he's not sure he'll be ale to control himself. And he doesn't want Hermione to see. For both of their sakes. Which is why he wants her to go.

Suddenly, he heard hooves behind him, galloping, and something jumped clean over Harry, charging at the figure. 

The pain eventually managed to disappear and he let out a sigh of relief. When he looked up, the figure had gone. He was shaking like mad and growling under his breath. He felt arms around him, stroking him comfortingly, and for once he didn't even care that it was Hermione doing it. He was just glad to have someone here with him to tell him he'd be okay. 

A centaur was standing over him, he looked young and he had white-blonde hair.

The centaur and Hermione both helped him stand up straight and he thanked them both.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yes, fine now, thanks." Harry nodded.

"Will you be needing a ride back to the castle?"

Harry shook his head. He wasn't about to lower himself to such standards. "I can walk, really."

The centaur eyed him curiously before nodding, asking him and Hermione to follow him.

"We must get you back to Professor Snape. The quicker you leave the forest, the better." Harry couldn't agree more. "My name is Firenze."

"Nice to meet you."

Suddenly, more galloping could be heard and then more centaurs appeared. Hermione's face lit up. It seemed she recognised them. 

"We heard of commotion." One of them spoke up with narrowed eyes. "What's going on here?"

"Do you realise who this is?" Asked Firenze. "This is the Potter boy. We must make sure he gets out of here safely, Bane."

"What have you been telling him?" Growled Bane. "Firenze, we are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. Have we not read what is to come in the movements of the planets?"

Another centaur pawed the ground nervously. "I'm sure Firenze thought he was acting for the best." He said in a gloomy voice. 

Bane kicked his back legs in anger. 

"For the best! What is that to do with us? Centaurs are concerned with what has been foretold! It is not our business to run around like donkeys after stray beings in our forest, is it Ronan?"

Firenze suddenly reared on to his hind legs in anger and Harry backed up, putting Hermione behind him unintentionally. 

"Do you not see that unicorn?" Firenze bellowed at Bane. "Do you not understand why it was killed? Or have the planets not let you in on that secret? I set myself against what is lurking in this forest, Bane, yes, with children alongside me if I must."

Firenze suddenly spun around looking at Harry and Hermione, gestured for them to follow him and they walked off into the trees, leaving Ronan and Bane behind them.

Harry didn't have a clue what was going on. 

"Why's Bane so angry?" He asked. "What was that thing you saved me from, anyway?"

Firenze sighed but did not answer Harry's question. They made their way through the trees in silence for so long that Harry thought Firenze didn't want to talk to him anymore. They were passing through a particularly dense patch of trees, however, when Firenze suddenly stopped. 

"Harry Potter, do you know what unicorn blood is used for?"

"No." Harry said, startled by the odd question. "We've only used the horn and tail hair in Potions." 

"Do you, Hermione Granger?" 

"No, I just know the same that Harry does." 

"I would imagine so. That is because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn." Firenze said fiercely. "Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenceless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips."

Harry's eyes widened. He didn't know that. 

_'I wonder what would happen if you drank a werewolf's blood?'_ He thought to himself. _'Probably make you ill.'_

"But who'd be that desperate?" He wondered aloud. "If you're going to be cursed forever, death's better, isn't it?" At least that's what he'd choose, considering he's already living a cursed life.

"It is." Firenze agreed. "Unless all you need is to stay alive long enough to drink something else. Something that will bring you back to full strength and power, something that will mean you can never die. Mr. Potter, do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?"

"The Philosopher's Stone!" Hermione butted in. "Of course, the Elixir of Life! But I don't understand who-" 

"Can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power, who has clung to life, awaiting their chance?"

Harry's blood suddenly ran cold. He has a strong sense of deja vu. He remembers back to when he and Hagrid had first met and he'd told him in secret about Voldermort. He didn't seem to believe he'd died, just like lots of other people didn't. 

"Do you mean..." Harry croaked. "That was Vol-"

"Harry! Hermione! Are you both all right?" Neville suddenly asked from where he was standing with a worried looking Hagrid and irritated Malfoy. Snape was also there and looked livid. Uh-oh.

They both just nodded at Neville to ease his worries.

Snape started walking toward them down the path, Hagrid puffing along behind him.

"Silly boy, where have you been?" He snapped. Hermione shrunk back, clearly scared but Harry could tell there was a hint of worry in his voice.

"I was just doing my job, looking for the plants we discussed, when suddenly I happen to stumble across a random unicorn that was sadly dead. Hermione was also there." Harry said in a sad voice, bluffing slightly. "Then this creature appeared from the shadows and tried to kill me." He scoffed. "But Firenze here scared it off and led us back." He looked to Hermione, asking her to confirm the story.

"Right. Yeah, that's what happened." She nodded quietly. 

Snape eyed funnily but he just shrugged. "I'm fine." He said seriously. "But, the unicorn's dead, Hagrid, it's in that clearing back there."

"This is where I leave you." Firenze murmured as Hagrid hurried off to examine the unicorn. "You are safe now. "

Harry nodded and Hermione thanked him.

"Good luck, Harry Potter." Firenze said. "The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times."

"Uh, okay then." He said, not knowing what else to say. Firenze took off and he looked back to Snape. "What now?"

Snape just sighed. "I have enough of our ingredients. You go to bed. The rest of you, also." He glared at them. 

Harry nodded and headed up to the tower with Hermione and Neville following him.

"Why were you out looking for potions ingredients with Snape in the middle of the night?" Neville asked curiously. 

"Because I'm a prodigy and I'm on my way to getting the best marks in the class, even if that means staying up all hours of the night to trek through the forest with my teacher in search of plants." He grinned.

"You think you'll have the best marks?" Hermione asked in a snobby voice that sounded very similar to Malfoy's.

"No, I know I will." He grinned. "I plan on perhaps becoming a Potioneer when I leave school." He shrugged. "Which means I've got to get the best marks."

Her eyebrow rose at that. "Huh."

"What?"

"Nothing... It's just-" She sighed. "Everyone expects you to become an Auror or something when you leave school because... Y'know."

Harry just rolled his eyes. "Again. People making assumptions about me. Listen Granger, people know _of_ me but they don't actually _know_ me. There's lots about me that people will be shocked about." He scowled and muttered. "That's why they'll never find out."

Hermione just stared at him curiously yet again and Neville was silent. 

When they got back to the common room, Neville headed straight to bed and Harry kicked Ron in the side lightly. He was snoring on the couch.

"Wake up, Ron!" He yelled. 

Ron woke up with a start and looked around. "What's going on?"

"It's time for bed." Harry said, gesturing to the dorms. 

Hermione just glared at him. "Nice logic there." 

Harry just smirked. 

"Be there in a minute." Ron mumbled and Harry nodded, taking off for the dorm.

When he was halfway up the stairs, he decided to listen in. He’s been getting used to doing that these days.

Hermione started filling in Ron on everything that happened outside tonight.

“Firenze saved Harry but he shouldn't have done so... Bane was furious. He was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen. They must show that You Know Who’s coming back. Bane thinks Firenze should have let him kill Harry. I suppose that's written in the stars as well...” She sighed. “What do you think?”

"I’m not sure, Hermione, and I don’t think we should be talking about this.” Ron said seriously. “It’s not right. Harry’s my best mate, I don’t want to think about some crazy guy going after him.”

"Me either, Ron. But we have to look at this logically.” She said softly. “So all we’ve got to wait for now is Snape to steal the Stone.” She went on quickly, still so sure he was the one behind it. “Then You Know Who will be able to come and finish Harry off. Well, I suppose Bane'll be happy.” She muttered.

Ron looked very frightened, but calmed down slightly when she put a hand on his shoulder. Then he spoke up.

"Y’know, everyone says Dumbledore's the only one You Know Who was ever afraid of. So, with Dumbledore around, You Know Who won't touch Harry, right?” He asked with raised eyebrows.

“It’s a possibility.” She said uncertainly.

“Anyway, who says the centaurs are right? It sounds like fortune-telling to me, and Professor McGonagall says that's a very imprecise branch of magic.” Ron said irritated.

Hermione just sighed.

The sky started to turn light and Harry snuck away quickly to bed before they stopped talking. He was exhausted, his head hurt and he was grumpy. The only thing that was keeping him cheerful right now was the fact that he could learn to brew Wolfsbane for the first time and get to see what kind of gunk he puts in his body. It was a weird sort of fascination.

Besides, he wanted to perfect it because he’s been feeling really wound up lately and his temper and cravings are beginning to come back. 

He gets out his sketchbook and draws a huge cauldron with blue steam and bubbles coming out of it. There’s a small boy standing behind it with a stirring rod, obviously Harry, and he has a big grin on his face, clearly pleased with the outcome. Then there’s a speech bubble that comes out of his mouth and he grins, adding _‘Woohooooo!’_

He totally didn’t picture it as him howling in joy. Okay, maybe a little bit, ironically.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3


	13. The Trapdoor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A terrible Mindscape event, taking final exams and going down into a dangerous trapdoor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has to be probably my longest chapter yet, I think?? From 6k to 9k! And it’s because we’re finally wrapping things up!
> 
> This chapter was a nightmare to write because I’m having to change the dialogue about and shift the POVs all the time as you obviously would have noticed if you’ve read the books or watched the movies, but overall I think it turned out pretty good.
> 
> I really love the comments I’ve been getting, I never would have made it past book one without any of you guys support. And now we’re heading into book three :D

Harry watched carefully as Snape cut up the Aconite petals and mixed them into a cauldron filled with boiling hot water. He took in just how many times he'd stir the rod clockwise, seeing a giant puff of blue smoke blow out the cauldron and then stir counterclockwise, seeing blue steam fizz away. He'd let it cool for five minutes and when the potion was cool inside the cauldron, he let it simmer again until it gave off a blue hue around the lid which was placed on top. He brewed for about an hour until it was ready. Harry was taking notes the entire time and even made little drawings to memorise. 

The whole process seemed very complex and time consuming, he suddenly held an even greater amount of respect for Snape if this is what he has to do every month for him. He almost got his eyebrows blown up and dyed blue. 

Harry was excited to try it out eventually, though. Obviously not today as they didn't have enough ingredients and he was just looking at the technique for the first time and had to study up on the notes, but Snape assured him the next time they see each other and the moon is coming up, which would be next term, he'd allow Harry to brew his potion with him. This made him grin.

"So, you see how it's supposed to be done then?" Snape asked Harry as he was bottling up three perfect vials. "Based on the amount of notes you took, I'd say you might be getting the hang of it."

Harry nodded enthusiastically. "Definitely. It's very complicated, sure. But practice makes perfect, as they say." 

Snape nodded at him. "Correct." He handed them to Harry and he hid them inside his bag. "Start tonight. You know the drill."

Harry sighed. "Eat, sleep, gloves." He nodded. "Got it." 

"Very well. Now go get yourself some lunch, you're scrawny enough as it is." Snape mumbled, shoving him towards the door.

"I could still totally rip your head off like a doll." Harry frowned at him.

"And I can still slip poison into your potion." He raised an eyebrow, challengingly. Harry just grinned and walked off. 

They had a weird sort of dark banter together. He'd never tell Hermione or Ron about it, though. They'd immediately start thinking Snape was serious about poisoning him when really it's just their humour. 

He walked to the Great Hall and found Ron stuffing his face with food. He sat down next to him and noticed his last minute untouched homework next to him. 

"Ron, seriously?" He sighed. "The exams are literally about to start. Buck up." 

Ron put down his chicken and frowned. "What? I could just copy off of Hermione."

Hearing her name, she lifted her head up out of a book and glared at him. "No you won't. Besides, during the exams we're all given an Anti cheating quill." 

Ron gaped and quickly opened up his homework, decided to get to work at last. 

That night when Harry's bones were sore, he chugged back a vial of his potion and entered his Mindscape, determined to calm himself down to get a good nights rest. He put a Sticking Charm on his curtains and counted to one hundred. Then he was in his head.

He usually likes to just sit on the ground and surround himself with warm fires. He can do whatever he wants in his head, it's brilliant.

Sometimes he'd go for a look through his happy memories, walking through the clearing he first saw that went into a nice field. He'd follow the laughter that went through the bushes and pull back tree branches to see smiling faces, memories flashing by. He'd look into puddles and see the time him and Ron ran outside in the rain like idiots laughing.

But tonight was something different. 

Ever since that night in the forest, he's been getting reoccurring stabbing pains in his forehead over his scar. Ron caught Harry waking up in the middle of the night gasping for breath sometimes and was worried sick but he told him he was nervous about exams. 

Truth was, he kept being woken by his old nightmare, the one with the flash of green and the screaming, except that it was now worse than ever because there was a hooded figure dripping blood in it, too. 

So when Harry was in his Mindscape tonight, worried about having bad dreams again, stressed about exams and in pain because he knew a transformation would come up, he found it particularly difficult to focus on good memories.

He wanders around inside his head in a projected image of hallways like the castle, doors opening to different memories, when suddenly hears weeping. Who was crying? He never hears crying. He looks around quickly and spots something. 

It's a small figure and it's hiding in the dark corner, crouched down low, knees pulled up to its chest. He inches closer to it and then sees the moonlight peek in through a window from above. It appears that this small figure is scared of it. Harry gets the distinct feeling that this is a projection of him.

He slowly walks away from it and shudders.

He rounds a corner and heads down a staircase, it's getting darker now. He walks through a hallways and at the end, a door creaks open slightly. He eyes it warily and walks towards it, slowly peeking his head in.

In the far corner, hidden in the shadows is something huffing and growling. It's crouched over slightly and isn't too big but it's definitely bigger than him. It has long nails and is black and furry all over.

He can see it's golden eyes blinking at him through the darkness and he gets the distinct thought in the back of his head that maliciously says _'don't be scared, I'm part of you.'_

He clamps a hand over his mouth and runs out the door, making sure to slam it behind himself and whip out his wand, locking it quickly.

He most definitely has the feeling that was a projection of him in his wolf state and he does not like it one bit. He holds in a gag. 

He wanders until he's outside in the dark, grass and dirt underneath his feet and moon high above his head. His scars are burning from it and he hisses. Then he brings a hand up to his forehead, it seems to be stinging which is unusual for this time.

This must mean...

He looks around and spots it. In the far distance, away in the bushes, is a slippery looking creature just swaying on the spot and staring at him. 

_'Is that him? Is that Voldermort?'_ He thinks confused. _'What does he want with me? Why is he just watching me? Why does my scar hurt? What does it mean?!'_

He sees the projection of a possible Voldermort coming towards him and his head stings more. He knows it can't hurt him, it's in his head, after all. But that doesn't make him any less scared and feel the lingering pains. 

He does the only thing he can think to do. He throws his wand in the possible Voldermort's direction and hits him in the face with a powerful Blasting Curse, just like he uses during his Occlumency training and the whole clearing turns to white, whooshing noises filling the air as everything explodes, the possible Voldermort disappearing just like before. 

Harry's chest hurts and then he's thrusted from his own mind and back onto his bed. He's gasping out of breath and clutching at his own chest, staring up at the ceiling with wide eyes. He's panicking and looking around to see what's real and what's not.

Turns out that was the worst idea he's ever had.

 _'Note to self: be more careful if entering a Mindscape when the moon is near because you may just relive all your worst nightmares and see your worst inner thoughts about yourself.'_ He thinks self deprecatingly. 

He tears up and tries to get the image of himself crying out of his head but it won't go away. Then he does start to cry because he realises all of it was true. 

He really is that big monstrosity in the locked room. He deserves to be locked away, he's scary and hideous. He thinks it's a good thing schools about to end so he can leave this all behind and nobody will have to see his ugly face again. 

He won't have to bother Ron anymore.

With that last thought it mind, he cries harder until he falls into a restless sleep.

* * *

The exams had finally begun and Harry was exhausted during all of it. He was currently in the middle of his moon cycle and just wanted to lay in bed but of course, that wasn't going to happen. It was the longest day of his life, so far.

Professor Flitwick called them one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tap dance across a desk. Harry did it perfectly, although without any enthusiasm.

Professor McGonagall watched them turn a mouse into a snuffbox. Points were given for how pretty the snuffbox was, but taken away if it had whiskers. His had no whiskers therefore he counted that as a success.

The only class Harry cared to go to was Potions because he knew he'd pass it with his eyes closed. Snape made everyone except Harry nervous, breathing down their necks while they tried to remember how to make a Forgetfulness Potion. 

Malfoy made a stupid joke about how Harry might have forgotten the ingredients and would blow up his cauldron but he just glared at him and grinned when his potion turned out far more superior to his. And by that, he means perfect and Malfoy's is rubbish. Even Hermione was staring at him with a fierce scowl. 

This was the highlight of his day and kept him going strong so he wouldn't collapse into a heap. He did notice Snape's concerned look when in class but he just nodded to him, letting him know he was alright.

Harry tried his hardest throughout the day, clenching his fists tightly and counting to ten when necessary. He pretended to go get notes at lunch time when really he was just sneaking into the kitchen to eat a raw steak that the elves gave to him. 

Maybe it was because Harry was currently trying to not turn into a savage beast, maybe because he was trying to get his nightmares under control, maybe he was stressed from studying or maybe because he was struggling with the burning on his forehead, but Ron and Hermione still seemed worried about the Stone, stupidly enough, whilst he didn't bat an eye.

The idea of Voldemort certainly scared him, sometimes he'd visit him in his dreams, but he'd never mention that. And that's certainly no reason for him to go after the Stone now. Why would he? If that's where Voldemort is, that's the last place he wants to be!

Harry put himself into his studying and didn't bother to care what Quirrell or Voldemort or anyone else may be up to anymore. He wanted this all to be over. He's just so tired. 

Their very last exam was History of Magic. One hour of answering questions about batty old wizards who'd invented self stirring cauldrons and they'd finally be free. Free for a whole wonderful week until their exam results came out.

When the ghost of Professor Binns told them to put down their quills and roll up their parchment, Harry felt like cheering with everyone else but instead plugged his fingers in his ears, hypersensitive to sound right now. He hissed and ignored the looks he got from Ron and Hermione.

"That was far easier than I thought it would be." Hermione said as they joined the crowd of people out on the sunny grounds. "I needn't have learned about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager."

"Needn't?" Harry grinned. "Trying to sound posh?"

"Hush up." She scolded him. 

They went to sit under a tree near the lake but Harry couldn't enjoy it, he was still exhausted and his scar kept hurting.

"You could look more cheerful, Harry. We've got a week before we find out how badly we've done, there's no need to worry yet." Ron told him.

"I've not done bad at all, Ron. I know I've passed everything." He said with a raised eyebrow.

"Then why do you look so miserable?"

Harry sighed. "My scar... It hurts." He said, rubbing his forehead. "I wish I knew what this means." He said frustrated. "It's keeps hurting and it's happened before, but never as often as this."

"Go to Madam Pomfrey." Hermione suggested. 

"Maybe..." Harry said resigned.

Ron looked at him nervously. "Do you think it's a warning? Does it mean danger's coming?"

"Don't be daft, Ron." Harry sighed. "You're making yourself paranoid."

"Ronald, relax, Harry's right." She smiled at him. "The Stone's safe as long as Dumbledore's around. Anyway, we've never had any proof Snape found out how to get past Fluffy. He nearly had his leg ripped off once, he's not going to try it again in a hurry. And Neville will play Quidditch for England before Hagrid lets Dumbledore down."

Harry just glared fiercely at her. "You never got any proof because there is no proof to have." He growled.

"Oh, not again..." Ron groaned.

She just glared at him and he refused to look at her.

He watched an owl flutter toward the school across the bright blue sky, a note clamped in its mouth. 

Suddenly, Hermione jumped to her feet. He raised his eyebrows at her.

"What's up with you?"

"I've just thought of something." She said, turning white. "We've got to go and see Hagrid, now."

"Why?" Harry asked confused.

"Just come on!" She yelled and took off. Ron groaned and got up, hurrying after her like a puppy dog. Harry just rolled his eyes and hurried to keep up. 

"Don't you think it's a bit odd that what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket?" Asked Hermione. "How many people wander around with dragon eggs if it's against wizard law? Lucky they found Hagrid, don't you think? Why didn't I see it before?" She said frustrated.

"What are you talking about?" Asked Ron, as they sprinted across the grounds toward the forest, in the direction of Hagrid's hut.

Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house, his trousers and sleeves were rolled up, and he was shelling peas into a large bowl. 

"Hullo." He said, smiling. "Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?"

"Yes, please." Said Ron, but Hermione cut him off. 

"No, we're in a hurry. Hagrid, I've got to ask you something. You know that night you won Norbert? What did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?"

"Dunno." Hagrid said casually. "He wouldn' take his cloak off."

He saw the three of them look stunned and raised his eyebrows. 

"It's not that unusual, yeh get a lot o' funny folk in the Hog's Head, that's the pub down in the village. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn' he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up."

Hermione sank down next to the bowl of peas. "What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?"

"Mighta come up." Said Hagrid, frowning as he tried to remember. "Yeah... He asked what I did, an' I told him I was gamekeeper here... He asked a bit about the sorta creatures I took after, so I told him.... An' I said what I'd always really wanted was a dragon... An' then, I can' remember too well, 'cause he kept buyin' me drinks... Let's see, yeah. Then he said he had the dragon egg an' we could play cards fer it if I wanted... But he had ter be sure I could handle it, he didn' want it ter go ter any old home... So I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy..."

"And did he seem interested in Fluffy?" She asked, trying to keep her voice calm. 

"Well, yeah. How many three headed dogs d'yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy's a piece o' cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus' play him a bit o' music an' he'll go straight off ter sleep." Hagrid suddenly looked horrified. "I shouldn'ta told yeh that!" He blurted out. "Forget I said it! Hey, where're yeh goin'?"

Ron and Hermione ran off with wide eyes, Harry sighing tiredly and trailing after them, offering a small smile to Hagrid who just nodded back.

They didn't speak to each other at all until they came to a halt in the entrance hall, which seemed very cold and gloomy after the grounds. 

"We've got to go to Dumbledore." Hermione said. "Hagrid told that stranger how to get past Fluffy, and it was either Snape or Voldemort under that cloak."

"It wasn't Snape!" Harry snapped at her.

"Fine! Voldemort then." She crossed her arms.

Ron winced. "Can we stop saying the name?" They both just glowered at him.

"Look, it must've been easy, once he'd got Hagrid drunk. I just hope Dumbledore believes us. Firenze might back us up if Bane doesn't stop him. Where's Dumbledore's office?" Hermione said in a rush.

"I don't care where it is. I'm not taking part in this." Harry took a step back.

"What?" She asked.

"If Voldemort really is in this castle then the last thing I want to do is go anywhere near him." He scowled. "If he's after the Stone, that's not my problem."

"Harry! We have to tell someone." She said shocked.

"No, you do. I'm done with this. I have to rest." He said, rubbing his tired eyes. "Let the adults take care of it."

"They're not taking care of it at all!" She snapped.

"Well then-" Harry began, but a voice suddenly rang across the hall. 

"What are you three doing inside?"

It was Professor McGonagall, carrying a large pile of books. 

"We want to see Professor Dumbledore." Hermione said rather bravely.

Harry just rolled his eyes and stood off to the side, distancing himself from her. 

"See Professor Dumbledore?" Professor McGonagall repeated, as though this was a very fishy thing to want to do. "Why?"

Hermione looked to him and he grinned at her, raising an eyebrow. 

_'Well Granger, what are you going to tell her?'_ He thought sarcastically to himself.

"It's sort of secret." She eventually said, making Harry hide a laugh inside a cough. 

Hermione looked as though she regretted it as soon as she said it because Professor McGonagall's nostrils flared. 

"Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago." She said coldly. "He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once."

"He's gone?" Hermione asked frantically. "Now?"

"Professor Dumbledore is a very great wizard, Granger. He has many demands on his time."

"But this is important!"

"Something you have to say is more important than the Ministry of Magic, Granger?"

"Look." Hermione said, throwing caution to the wind. "Professor, it's about the Philosopher's Stone."

Whatever Professor McGonagall had expected, it wasn't that. The books she was carrying tumbled out of her arms, but she didn't pick them up. 

"How do you know-" She spluttered. 

"Professor, I think... I know that Sn- I mean." She cut herself off with a cough. "That someone's going to try and steal the Stone. I've got to talk to Professor Dumbledore." Hermione said with wide eyes. 

Harry just glowered at her.

McGonagall eyed Hermione with a mixture of shock and suspicion. 

"Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow." She said finally. I don't know how you found out about the Stone, but rest assured, no one can possibly steal it, it's too well protected."

"But Professor-"

"Granger, I know what I'm talking about." She said shortly. She bent down and gathered up the fallen books. I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine." 

But they didn't. 

"It's tonight." Hermione said once she was sure McGonagall was out of earshot. "Snape's going through the trapdoor tonight. He's found out everything he needs, and now he's got Dumbledore out of the way. He sent that note, I bet the Ministry of Magic will get a real shock when Dumbledore turns up."

"But what can we-"

"Both of you shut up!" Harry growled. "That's the last time I'm warning you. Otherwise, I'll use the deadliest curses I can muster up on you." He glared at Hermione. "Especially you."

"How dare you!" She shrieked. "I'm only trying to-"

"Start conflict like usual?" He snapped. "How many times have I told you that Professor Snape isn't up to something? He's just a teacher."

"A bad one." She scowled. 

"Not his fault if you can't take criticism because of your lacking potioneer skills." Harry said, looking down on her.

She went to reply but suddenly gasped as a shadow appeared behind her. Ron wheeled round next to her and whimpered.

Harry heard his footsteps from a while back but refused to tell her, hoping she'd get caught out.

Snape was standing there, looking down at her with a glare.

"Good afternoon." He said smoothly. 

Hermione and Ron just stared at him. Harry was smirking, oddly amused.

"You shouldn't be inside on a day like this." He said, with an odd, twisted smile. 

"We were-" Hermione began, without any idea what she was going to say. 

"You want to be more careful." Snape said with a raised eyebrow. "Hanging around like this, people will think you're up to something." He suddenly looked to Harry when he said that and Harry realised he'd repeated exactly what he told Hermione. Yep, he heard them. "And Gryffindor really can't afford to lose any more points, can it?"

Harry wasn't going to say anything, he'd just watch the scene unfold. He wanted to see this girl dig a big grave for herself.

But Hermione just flushed and said nothing more. She turned to go outside, dragging Ron with her but Snape called them back. 

"Be warned, Granger, you too Weasley. Any more nighttime wanderings and I will personally make sure you are expelled. Good day to you." He said, not looking in Harry's direction, acting as if he weren't even there at all. 

Harry grinned.

Snape strode off in the direction of the staff room, robes swooshing behind him.

Out on the stone steps, Harry turned to the others. 

"I'm sorry you got into trouble, Granger. But you did deserve it." He shrugged.

She just glared hatefully at him. "You're as mean as him." She turned away from him completely and just talked to Ron. "Right, here's what we've got to do." She whispered urgently. "One of us has got to keep an eye on Snape."

"Granger..." Harry growled.

"One of us will wait outside the staff room and follow him if he leaves it. I'd better do that." She said, ignoring him.

"Why you?" Ron asked.

"It's obvious." She said. "I can pretend to be waiting for Professor Flitwick. I'll just act as if I'm worried I got a question wrong."

"And we'd better stay outside the third floor corridor." Ron told Harry. "Come on." 

But Harry didn't move. He stayed put, crossing his arms. "No."

"Mate." Ron said sadly. "Please, for me. I can't do this without you."

Harry's heart ached. _'Bloody hell, Ronald Weasley! Why do you have to make me feel emotions?'_ He sighed and rubbed his tired eyes one last time before nodding.

"Fine. Just for you." Ron's face lit up and Harry smiled. He turned on Hermione with a snarl. "I'm not doing this for you, girl." 

She stood back and held up her hands, nodding quickly.

But their part of the plan didn't work. No sooner had they reached the door separating Fluffy from the rest of the school than Professor McGonagall turned up again and this time, she lost her temper. 

"I suppose you think you're harder to get past than a pack of enchantments!" She yelled at them. "Enough of this nonsense! If I hear you've come anywhere near here again, I'll take another fifty points from Gryffindor! Yes, Weasley, from my own house!" She said when he gaped at her.

Harry and Ron went back to the common room and Ron just mumbled under his breath. "At least Hermione's on Snape's tail..." 

Harry chose not to comment.

When the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open, Hermione came in and she was frantic.

"I'm sorry, Ron!" She wailed. "Snape came out and asked me what I was doing, so I said I was waiting for Flitwick, and Snape went to get him, and I've only just got away. I don't know where Snape went."

"Well, that's it then, isn't it?" Ron said shocked.

Harry just sighed. 

"You're both missing the obvious, aren't you?" They looked at him in confusion. "I've been saying it all along, it's not Snape! It's that other bloody teacher, Quirrell." 

"Harry-" 

"No, Hermione!" He snapped. "Think about it. I've never had pains in my scar like this before until I came here. Then as soon as I start taking the Defence classes with Quirrell, it always hurts? And then, not to mention the incident in the forest. You were there! That was the most painful it's ever been and it was still the same sensation, the burning that I get when I'm around Quirrell!" He yelled. "I've also been having bad dreams about him. But I'm not going to get into that." He muttered.

She sighed and nodded, as if trying to understand. "Okay." 

"Okay?" 

"I still think it's Snape and so does Ron. But it's your body and if you think it's being affected by Quirrell then okay, I'll take your word for it, I guess." She said sceptically.

"Finally."

"So, what do we do about the Stone then?" Ron raised an eyebrow.

Harry clenched his fists tightly and took in a deep breath, he couldn't believe what he was about to say. 

"We'll have to get it ourselves." He nodded seriously. "Tonight, before Quirrell does. Or whoever the bloody hell wants it!" He said frustrated.

He looked at Hermione and on impulse, he let himself slip into her head for a second through Legilimency to view her current thoughts. He realised they both silently shared the same thought. 

_'Voldemort wants it.'_

"You're mad!" Ron spoke up.

"But we can't." Hermione said. "After what McGonagall and Snape have said? We'll be expelled." She said miserably.

"Hermione, if Voldemort gets ahold of the Stone, there won't be any Hogwarts to get expelled from. He'll flatten it or turn it into a school for the Dark Arts, something I know you hate. Losing points doesn't matter anymore, can't you see?" He tried to reason with her. "So, I'm going through that trapdoor tonight and nothing you two say is going to stop me. You can either come with me or stay behind." He glared. "Voldemort killed my parents, remember? The only thing I want to do is kill that man."

Hermione took in a deep breath but then slowly nodded. 

"How will we get there?" She asked.

"We'll use the Cloak so we're not seen. It'll definitely cover all three of us." He said surely. 

They agreed on the plan and after dinner the three of them sat nervously inside the common room. Nobody bothered to come up and talk to them, thank God. People still weren't talking to Hermione and it seemed as if this was the first time she wasn't upset by it.

She was skimming through all her notes quickly, hoping to come across one of the enchantments they were about to try to break. Harry and Ron didn't talk much. Both of them were thinking about what they were about to do. 

Slowly, the room emptied as people drifted off to bed. 

"Better get the Cloak." Ron muttered as Lee Jordan finally left, stretching and yawning. Harry ran upstairs to their dorm and pulled out the Cloak, then his eyes fell on the flute Hagrid had given him for Christmas. He pocketed it to use on Fluffy, he didn't feel much like singing. 

He ran back down to the common room. 

"We'd better put the Cloak on here and make sure it covers all three of us. If Filch spots one of our feet wandering along on its own-"

"What are you doing?" Asked a voice from the corner of the room. Neville appeared from behind an armchair, clutching Trevor the toad, who let out a noisy croak when he spotted Harry and started jumping for another bid of freedom. 

"Nothing, Neville, nothing." Harry said, hurriedly putting the Cloak behind his back and staying away from the slimy toad.

"You're going out again." Neville said. 

"No, no, no." Hermione shook her head. "No, we're not. Why don't you go to bed, Neville?"

Harry looked at the grandfather clock by the door. They couldn't afford to waste any more time. If it was Quirrell, then he might even now be playing Fluffy to sleep. 

"You can't go out." Said Neville. "You'll be caught again. Gryffindor will be in even more trouble."

"You don't understand." Hermione insisted. "This is important."

But Neville was clearly steeling himself to do something desperate. 

"I won't let you do it." He said, hurrying to stand in front of the portrait hole. "I'll- I'll fight you!" He said holding his hands up bravely at them all. Harry had to hold in a snort.

"Neville!" Ron exploded. "You get away from that hole and don't be an idiot-"

"Don't you call me an idiot!" Neville yelled. "I don't think you should be breaking any more rules! And you were the one who told me to stand up to people!"

"Yes, but not to us." Ron in exasperation. "Neville, you don't know what you're doing."

He took a step forward and Neville dropped Trevor the toad, who leapt out of sight quickly.

"Go on then, try and hit me!" Neville said fiercely, raising his fists. "I'm ready!"

Hermione turned to Harry.

"Do something." She said desperately. 

Harry stepped forward with a sigh.

"Neville, I'm really, really sorry about this." He said holding out his wand. "Petrificus Totalus!" He yelled and suddenly Neville's arms snapped to his sides. His legs sprang together. His whole body went rigid, he swayed where he stood and then he fell flat on his face, stiff as a board. 

"Harry! I meant split them up!" Hermione cried. 

Harry shrugged. "You should have been specific."

Hermione ran to turn Neville over. His jaw was jammed together so he couldn't speak. Only his eyes were moving, looking at them all in horror. 

"What've you done to him?" Ron whispered. 

"It's the full Body Bind." Said Hermione miserably. "Oh, Neville, I'm so sorry." She glared at Harry. "How could you?"

"You told me to do something." He said casually.

She just stared at him before sighing.

"I'm sorry, Neville. We had to but there's no time to explain." Hermione gently explained to Neville who was still frozen on the ground, looking at them confused.

"You'll understand later, Neville." Ron said as they stepped over him and pulled on the Invisibility Cloak.

Harry didn't say anything, too worried about Hermione blowing up at him if he even breathed too loudly.

They were walking down a staircase when they noticed Mrs Norris strolling around. Ron turned to him with a grin.

"Let's kick her, just this once."

"Ronald, no!" Hermione snapped. "That's cruel."

"And? So is Mrs Norris and her filthy caretaker." He spat.

Harry grinned at Ron's idea but had to agree with Hermione. Not because of the cruelty aspect, he's treaded on her tail before and not batted an eye and he'll gladly throw her in the lake. But she'll be able to scent him and then get Filch.

They kept on walking until they were there, outside the third floor corridor. When they took step closer, they realised the door was already open.

"Well, there you are." Hermione said quietly. "Snape- Or Quirrell!" She said with wide eyes when Harry glared at her. "One of them has already got past Fluffy."

As the door creaked open, they heard low, rumbling growls. All three of the dog's noses sniffed madly in their direction, even though it couldn't see them. 

"What's that at its feet?" Hermione whispered. 

"Looks like a harp." Ron said. "Snape must have left it there."

"Ron."

"O-or Quirrell?" He stuttered just like the man himself when he saw Harry's fierce glare.

"It must wake up the moment you stop playing." Hermione spoke up. 

Harry looked at the flute he brought with him and shrugged. "Well, here goes..."

He put Hagrid's flute to his lips and blew. It wasn't really a tune, but from the first note, the dog's eyes began to droop. Harry hardly drew breath. Slowly, the dog's growls ceased, it tottered on its paws and fell to its knees, then it slumped to the ground, fast asleep. 

"Keep playing." Ron warned Harry as they slipped out of the Cloak and crept toward the trapdoor. They could feel the dog's hot, smelly breath as they approached the giant heads. "I think we'll be able to pull the door open." Said Ron, peering over the dog's back. "Want to go first, Hermione?"

"No, I don't!" She snapped.

"All right." Ron sighed instead and gritted his teeth, stepping carefully over the dog's legs. He bent and pulled the ring of the trapdoor, which swung up and open. 

"What can you see?" Hermione said anxiously. 

"Nothing, just black. There's no way of climbing down, we'll just have to drop."

Harry was growing tired from playing the flute and gestured for Ron to switch places with him. He took it off him and immediately started playing. In the few seconds' silence, the dog growled and twitched, but the moment Ron began to play, it fell back into it's deep sleep. 

"I don't know how deep this thing goes, do you?" Hermione asked him whilst looking down the trapdoor. 

Harry climbed over it and looked down. There was no sign of the bottom. 

Then he suddenly grinned. 

"Well, y'know what they say." He raised an eyebrow to Hermione. "Ladies first." He suddenly grabbed her and threw her down the trapdoor, hearing her scream as she fell into the darkness below. 

Ron's playing had stopped so suddenly that the dog barely noticed it. 

"Harry!" He whisper shouted, clearly in shock.

Then they heard a grumble and scoff from below that showed Hermione was actually alive and well. Harry nodded to Ron who looked relieved and quickly went back to playing the flute before the dog could fully awaken.

"How is it down there?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's okay!" Hermione shouted up, voice echoing. "Come down, it's a soft landing, you can jump!"

Harry looked to Ron and nodded, carefully jumping down. 

Cold, damp air rushed past him as he fell down, down, down until he reached the bottom.

With a funny, muffled sort of thump he landed on something soft. He sat up and felt around, his eyes adjusting to the dark. It felt as though he was sitting on some sort of weird mattress, but Harry's brain told him better and he realised it was probably a big plant. 

The distant music stopped. There was a loud bark from the dog that showed Ron had already jumped. He landed and sprawled next to Harry, groaning.

"What's this stuff?" Were his first words. 

"A plant of some kind. I suppose it's here to break the fall." Harry shrugged.

"Good thing, too. Otherwise it would have broken my neck!" Hermione snapped at him. "How could you do that to me?" She yelled at Harry.

"Oh, shut up. You're fine." He sighed, ignoring her glare.

Then he felt something start to tug at his wrists and ankles. What the...

"Where are we anyway?" Ron mumbled.

"We must be miles under the school." Hermione said. 

"Lucky this plant thing's here, really..." Ron sighed. "We really could have died."

"Lucky?" Yelled Harry. "Look at you both!" 

He leapt up with his increased speed and hurried towards a damp wall. He had to struggle because the moment he had landed, the plant had started to twist snakelike tendrils around his ankles. As for Hermione and Ron, their legs had already been bound tightly in long creepers without them even noticing. 

Harry had managed to free himself before the plant got a firm grip on him as he has really quick reflexes. But now he watched in horror as Ron and Hermione fought to pull the plant off them. The more they strained against it, the tighter and faster the plant wound around them. 

"Stop moving!" Harry ordered them. "I know what this is, it's Devil's Snare!"

"Oh, I'm so glad we know what it's called, that's a great help." Snarled Ron, leaning back, trying to stop the plant from curling around his neck.

"Shut up, I'm trying to remember how to kill it!" Yelled Harry. 

"Well, hurry up, I can't breathe!" Ron gasped, wrestling with it as it curled around his chest. 

"Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare... What did Professor Sprout say? It likes the dark and the damp." He thought to himself. It wasn't really a class he particularly cared for. 

"So light a fire!" Ron choked. Hermione's face was nearly purple as she was getting suffocated.

"But, there's no wood!" She gasped out to him, looking around. 

"Are you daft? I'm not a common muggle, I'm a wizard, Granger." Harry rolled his eyes and cast the Bluebell Flames charm. In a matter of seconds, they both felt it loosening its grip from around their necks as it cringed away from the light and warmth. Wriggling and flailing, it unraveled itself from their bodies, and they were able to pull free.

"Lucky you pay attention in Herbology, Harry." Ron said as he joined him by the wall, wiping sweat off his face. 

"Hey, I do too!" Hermione said with a raised voice.

"Yeah, but luckily Harry doesn't lose his head in a crisis. 'There's no wood!’ Honestly." Ron said.

Harry grinned as Hermione turned red.

"This way." He said, pointing down a stone passageway, which was the only way forward. 

All they could hear apart from their footsteps was the gentle drip of water trickling down the walls. The passageway sloped downward and Harry was reminded of Gringotts. With an unpleasant jolt of the heart, he remembered the dragons said to be guarding vaults in the wizard's bank. If they met a dragon, a fully grown dragon... Harry was cringing at the thought, Norbert had been bad enough.

"Can you hear something?" Ron whispered. 

Harry listened. A soft rustling and clinking seemed to be coming from up ahead. 

"Do you think it's a ghost?"

"I don't know... It sounds like wings to me."

"There's light ahead, I can see something moving."

They reached the end of the passageway and saw before them a brilliantly lit chamber, it’s ceiling arching high above them. It was full of small, jewel bright birds, fluttering and tumbling all around the room. On the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy wooden door. 

"Do you think they'll attack us if we cross the room?" Asked Ron.

"Maybe.” Harry sighed. "They don't look very vicious, but I suppose if they all swooped down at once... Well, there's no other choice... Granger, run."

She looked at him in shock. "What, why?" 

"Go on, be a hero, take one for the team." He nodded at her.

"No, I won't." She crossed her arms. "I already got thrown down a dark hole and then nearly suffocated to death. No way."

Harry just glared. "Fine, I'll run then." 

He took a deep breath, covered his face with his arms, and sprinted across the room. He expected to feel sharp beaks and claws tearing at him any second, but nothing happened. He reached the door untouched. He pulled the handle, but it was locked.

The other two followed him. They tugged and heaved at the door, but it wouldn't budge, not even when Harry tried his Alohomora charm. 

"Now what?" Asked Ron. 

"These birds... They can't be here just for decoration." Said Hermione. 

They watched the birds soaring overhead, glittering. Wait, glittering?

"They're not birds!" Harry said suddenly. "They're keys! Winged keys, look carefully. So that must mean..." He looked around the chamber while the other two squinted up at the flock of keys. "Yes, look! Broomsticks! We've got to catch the key to the door!"

"But there are hundreds of them!" She shrieked.

Ron examined the lock on the door. 

"We're looking for a big, old fashioned one, probably silver, like the handle."

They each seized a broomstick and kicked off into the air, soaring into the midst of the cloud of keys. They grabbed and snatched, but the bewitched keys darted and dived so quickly it was almost impossible to catch one. 

It wasn't all for nothing, though. Harry was the youngest seeker in a century. He had a knack for spotting things other people didn't. He was also a werewolf and had very fast reflexes and good sight, which did come in handy when he was on a broom during a match. 

After a minute's weaving about through the whirl of rainbow feathers, he noticed a large silver key that had a bent wing, as if it had already been caught and stuffed roughly into the keyhole. 

"That one!" He called to the others. "That big one, there, no, there, with bright blue wings, the feathers are all crumpled on one side."

Ron went speeding in the direction that Harry was pointing, crashed into the ceiling, and nearly fell off his broom. 

"We've got to close in on it!" Harry called, not taking his eyes off the key with the damaged wing. "Ron, you come at it from above, Hermione, stay below and stop it from going down and I'll try and catch it. Right, go!"

Ron dived, Hermione rocketed upward, the key dodged them both, and Harry streaked after it. It sped toward the wall, Harry leaned forward and with a nasty, crunching noise, pinned it against the stone with one hand. Ron and Hermione's cheers echoed around the high chamber. 

They landed quickly, and Harry ran to the door, the key struggling in his hand. He rammed it into the lock and turned, thankfully, it worked. The moment the lock had clicked open, the key took flight again, looking very battered now that it had been caught twice. 

"Ready?" Harry asked the other two, his hand on the door handle. They nodded. He pulled the door open. 

The next chamber was so dark they couldn't see anything at all. But as they stepped into it, light suddenly flooded the room to reveal an astonishing sight. 

They were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, behind the black chessmen, which were all taller than they were and carved from what looked like black stone. Facing them, way across the chamber, were the white pieces. Harry, Ron and Hermione shivered slightly, the towering white chessmen had no faces. 

"Now what do we do?" Harry whispered. 

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Ron said. "We've got to play our way across the room."

Behind the white pieces they could see another door. 

"How?" Asked Hermione nervously. 

"I think we're going to have to be chessmen." Said Ron.

"Be what?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

He walked up to a black knight and put his hand out to touch the knight's horse. At once, the stone sprang to life. The horse pawed the ground and the knight turned his helmeted head to look down at Ron. 

"Do we, er, have to join you to get across?" The black knight nodded. Ron turned to the other two. "This needs thinking about." He said. "I suppose we've got to take the place of three of the black pieces..." Harry and Hermione stayed quiet, watching Ron think. "Now, don't be offended or anything, but neither of you are that good at chess-" 

"We're not offended." Hermione said quickly. "Just tell us what to do."

Harry just sulked a little. He did beat him a couple of times.

"Well, Harry, you take the place of that bishop, and Hermione, you next to him instead of that castle."

"What about you?"

"I'm going to be a knight." Said Ron with a grin.

The chessmen seemed to have been listening, because at these words a knight, a bishop, and a castle turned their backs on the white pieces and walked off the board, leaving three empty squares that Harry, Ron, and Hermione took.

"White always plays first in chess." Ron said, peering across the board. "Yes, look..."

A white pawn had moved forward two squares. 

Ron started to direct the black pieces. They moved silently wherever he sent them. Harry's knees were trembling. What if they lost?

"Harry, move diagonally four squares to the right."

Their first real shock came when their other knight was taken. The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay quite still, facedown. 

"Had to let that happen." Said Ron, looking shaken. "Leaves you free to take that bishop, Hermione, go on."

Every time one of their men was lost, the white pieces showed no mercy. Soon there was a huddle of limp black players slumped along the wall. Twice, Ron only just noticed in time that Harry and Hermione were in danger. He himself darted around the board, taking almost as many white pieces as they had lost black ones. 

"We're nearly there." He muttered suddenly. "Let me think, let me think..."

The white queen turned her blank face toward him. 

"Yes..." said Ron softly. "It's the only way... I've got to be taken."

"No!" Hermione shouted. Harry just gaped.

"That's chess!" Snapped Ron. "You've got to make some sacrifices! I take one step forward and she'll take me, that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Harry!"

"But-" Harry said.

"Do you want to stop the person who's trying to steal the Stone or not?" 

"Ron-" Hermione butted in.

"Look, if you don't hurry up, they might already have the Stone!"

There was no alternative. 

"Ready?" Ron called, his face pale but determined. "Here I go. Now, don't hang around once you've won."

He stepped forward, and the white queen pounced. She struck Ron hard across the head with her stone arm, and he crashed to the floor. Hermione screamed but stayed on her square, the white queen dragged Ron to one side. He looked as if he'd been knocked out. 

Shaking with nerves and rage, Harry moved three spaces to the left. 

The white king took off his crown and threw it at Harry's feet. They had won. The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear. With one last desperate look back at Ron, Harry and Hermione charged through the door and up the next passageway.

"What if he's-"

"He'll be all right." Harry said firmly, trying to convince himself more than her. "What do you reckon's next?"

"We've had Sprout's, that was the Devil's Snare. Flitwick must've put charms on the keys. McGonagall transfigured the chessmen to make them alive. That leaves Quirrell's spell, and Snape's."

She looked at him and he slipped into her head one last time. 

_'I don't know who's is going to be the most difficult.'_ Hermione's thoughts said. _'Considering we don't even know which one of them is after the Stone.'_

Harry broke eye contact and sighed. She really ought to figure it out by now. She's as thick as pea soup.

They eventually reached another door. 

"All right?" Harry whispered. She nodded to him and he pushed it open. 

A disgusting smell filled their noses, making both of them pull their robes up in disgust. Eyes watering, they saw, flat on the floor in front of them, a troll even larger than the one they had tackled and Harry had killed, out cold with a bloody lump on its head. 

"I'm glad we didn't have to fight that one.” Harry whispered as they stepped carefully over one of its massive legs. 

“Or what? You would have murdered this one, too?” Hermione glared at him.

Harry just glared and stormed off. "Come on, I can't breathe.” She huffed and followed.

He pulled open the next door, both of them hardly daring to look at what came next, but there was nothing very frightening in here, just a table with seven differently shaped bottles standing on it in a line. 

"This is Professor Snape’s.” He said with a raised eyebrow, heading over to the potions. 

Hermione shuffled over anxiously. “What do we have to do?"

They stepped over the threshold, and immediately a fire sprang up behind them in the doorway. It wasn't ordinary fire either, it was purple. At the same instant, black flames shot up in the doorway leading onward. They were trapped. 

"Look!" Hermione seized a roll of paper lying next to the bottles. Harry looked over her shoulder to read it.

> _Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,_
> 
> _Two of us will help you, which ever you would find,_
> 
> _One among us seven will let you move ahead,_
> 
> _Another will transport the drinker back instead,_
> 
> _Two among our number hold only nettle wine,_
> 
> _Three of us are killers, waiting bidden in line._
> 
> _Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,_
> 
> _To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:_
> 
> _First, however slyly the poison tries to hide_
> 
> _You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;_
> 
> _Second, different are those who stand at either end,_
> 
> _But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;_
> 
> _Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,_
> 
> _Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;_
> 
> _Fourth, the second left and the second on the right_
> 
> _Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight._

Harry let out a laugh and Hermione found him grinning, the very last thing she felt like doing. 

"Brilliant.” Harry grinned. 

“Excuse me, what is brilliant about this?”

He just stared at her. “This isn't magic, it's logic, a puzzle. Of course Snape would come up with something like this, so many morons out there.” He muttered. “A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic, they'd be stuck in here forever.”

She nodded in understanding.

"But we won't, will we?"

"Of course not.” Harry scoffed. “Everything we need is here on this paper. Seven bottles, three are poison, two are wine, one will get us safely through the black fire, and one will get us back through the purple.”

"But how do we know which to drink?"

"Give me a minute.” Harry snapped. 

Harry read over the paper several times and frowned in concentration. He saw Hermione doing the same. Then he walked up and down the line of bottles, muttering to himself and pointing at them. At last, he clapped his hands. 

"Got it.” He said. 

She nodded at him. “Me too, I think.” 

Harry raised an eyebrow at her, impressed. 

"So, let’s see. The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire, toward the Stone.” He said, looking at the tiny bottle. 

"There's only enough there for one of us.” Hermione said. "That's hardly one swallow.”

They looked at each other and Harry sighed.

"And the one will get us back through the purple flames?"

Hermione pointed at a rounded bottle at the right end of the line. He nodded. 

"You drink that.” Harry said quietly. She just gaped at him. "No, listen, get back and get Ron. Grab brooms from the flying key room, they'll get you out of the trapdoor and past Fluffy. Go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, we need him. I might be able to hold whoever is down there off for a while.” 

_‘I am a werewolf, after all. I could just kill them...’_ He didn't dare say out loud.

"But Harry! What if You Know Who's there?"

"Well, I was lucky once, wasn't I?" Said Harry, pointing at his scar. "I might get lucky again.”

Hermione's lip trembled, and she gulped. She went to walk away but stomped her foot, suddenly running at Harry and throwing her arms around him.

He just stood there in shock for a second before gently patting her on the back.

“Uh...”

"Harry, you're a great wizard, you know.” She said when she pulled back. 

He just smiled at her slightly and nodded. “So are you.” He mumbled.

"Me?" Hermione asked with a blush. "Books and cleverness... There are more important things, like friendship and bravery.” She said with a smile.

Harry just looked at her, not knowing what to say. “I suppose so.”

“Harry, just be careful.” She warned him. He nodded and gestured to her potion.

"You drink first.” He told her. “We’ve went over it correctly, haven’t we?” He asked, just to be sure.

"Positive.” Said Hermione. She took a long drink from the round bottle at the end and shuddered. 

"It's not poison?" He asked anxiously, waiting for her to drop dead.

"No, but it's like ice.”

"Quick, go, before it wears off.” He shoved her towards the flames.

"Good luck, take care."

"Go!"

Hermione turned and ran straight through the purple fire, not a scratch on burn on her.

Harry took a deep breath and picked up the smallest bottle. He turned to face the black flames. 

_‘Here I come.’_ He thought to himself nervously before he drained the little bottle in one gulp. 

It was indeed as though ice was flooding his body. He put the bottle down and walked forward. He braced himself, saw the black flames licking his body, but couldn't feel them. For a moment he could see nothing but dark fire then he was on the other side, in the last chamber. 

Sure enough, there was already someone there, but it wasn't Snape. Just like he knew it wouldn’t be.

And it wasn’t even Voldemort, like they began to suspect.

 _‘I bloody knew it!’_ Was his final thought, as he was suddenly filled with intense rage at who he saw standing there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3


	14. Quirrell's Demise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting Voldermort, killing a teacher and school finally ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND THATS IT! Book two is officially complete!
> 
> I was going to add another chapter, when he gets back to the Dursleys, but I wanted to wrap this up because my thumbs are sore lmao. We’ll just continue that off in the NEXT book, Snakes and the Moon. 
> 
> I’m collecting all my notes together for it and getting things prepared but you shouldn’t have to wait too long for it to come out.
> 
> Thank you to all my subscribers and the commenters, I honestly could not have come this far without you ❤️ Ily all!

Quirrell was standing there smirking at Harry and he was so thankful he had his gloves on right now because he would have pierced his nails right into his palms and squirted blood everywhere.

"You!" Harry growled viciously. 

Quirrell smiled. His face wasn't twitching at all. 

"Me." He said calmly. "I wondered whether I'd be meeting you here, Potter."

"I _knew_ it was you." Harry glared. "The others tried to tell me I was wrong but I stuck by my instinct because I knew I was right." He spat at the teacher who was just listening to him with an amused look on his face. 

"And who did they try to tell you it was, hmm?" 

"Professor Snape."

"Severus?" Quirrell laughed cold and sharply. "Yes, Severus does seem the type, doesn't he? So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat. Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor, st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell?"

"You're insane." Harry scowled at him. "Nobody in their right mind does something like this. You tried to kill me!"

"Yes, I did try to kill you." He looked quite proud of this fact. "Your classmate Miss Granger accidentally knocked me over as she rushed to set fire to Snape at that Quidditch match. She broke my eye contact with you. Another few seconds and I'd have got you off that broom. I'd have managed it before then if Snape hadn't been muttering a countercurse, trying to save you."

"So, Professor Snape was trying to save me then?" He said with a small grin. 

_'That explains why my broom was possessed that day and why Hermione insisted that Snape tried to kill me.'_ He thought to himself. _'I obviously knew it wasn't true, though.'_

"Of course." Quirrell said. "Why do you think he wanted to referee your next match? He was trying to make sure I didn't do it again. Funny, really... He needn't have bothered. I couldn't do anything with Dumbledore watching. All the other teachers thought Snape was trying to stop Gryffindor from winning, he did make himself unpopular... And what a waste of time, when after all that, I'm going to kill you tonight."

Harry scoffed at him and his delusions. 

"Good luck with that, I don't give up so easily." He crossed his arms.

Quirrell glared at him then snapped his fingers. Ropes sprang out of thin air and wrapped themselves tightly around Harry as he flopped to the ground. He struggled and _growled_ , eyes narrowing hatefully in Quirrell's direction. 

"Oh, do quit your growling already Potter. I know it's that time of the month but still." He grinned. Harry froze and looked up at him. He completely forgot that Quirrell would be one of the staff members who'd know about his current werewolf status.

"You-"

"Know? Of course I do. Since before you even came to school, which is why you need to disappear quicker. You're a menace. Dangerous." He cringed.

"I am not!" Harry snarled at him. "I'm a good student and you're a bad teacher and bad person." 

Quirrell just laughed humourlessly. "Maybe. But at least I'm not a wild beast." 

Harry felt himself tear up, hurt by the words. He _knew_ he was just saying it to get under his skin, he knew it. But it didn't stop the pain, especially when he felt so powerless on the floor. 

"Shut up!" He snapped in a last attempt to defend his pride. "You know nothing about me."

"What I know is that you're too nosy to live, Potter. Scurrying around the school on Halloween like that. For all I knew, you'd seen me coming to look at what was guarding the Stone." 

"You let the troll in?" Harry raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't surprise me in the slightest."

"Certainly. I have a special gift with trolls-"

"What? You're a distant relative? Because you're surely stupid as hell." He grinned, still struggling against the ropes. 

Quirrell's eyes just narrowed. "Language, Potter! What would your mother think?" He smiled at Harry's glare. "You must have seen what I did to the one in the chamber back there? Unfortunately, while everyone else was running around looking for it, Snape, who already suspected me, went straight to the third floor to head me off. And not only did my troll fail to beat you to death, that three headed dog didn't even manage to bite Snape's leg off properly."

"In case you have forgotten, I'm the one who beat the troll to death, as a matter of fact." Harry spat. "Weren't expecting that, were you? Is that why you looked so ill that day?"

Quirrell just shifted on the spot. "I'll admit, I wasn't expecting that outcome in the slightest." He mumbled quietly, although Harry still heard. But then he gained confidence again. "Now, wait quietly, Potter. I need to examine this interesting mirror."

It was only then that Harry realized what was standing behind Quirrell. It was the Mirror of Erised. 

"This mirror is the key to finding the Stone." Quirrell murmured to himself, tapping his way around the frame. "Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this... But he's in London... I'll be far away by the time he gets back..."

All Harry could think of doing was to keep Quirrell talking about something, anything. Just to stop him from concentrating on the mirror. 

"I saw you and Snape in the forest." He blurted out. "Care to explain?"

"Yes." Quirrell said idly, walking around the mirror to look at the back. "He was on to me by that time, trying to find out how far I'd got. He suspected me all along. Tried to frighten me, as though he could, when I had Lord Voldemort on my side..."

"What?" Harry whispered.

Quirrell came back out from behind the mirror and stared hungrily into it. 

"I see the Stone... I'm presenting it to my master... But where is it?"

Harry struggled against the ropes binding him, but they didn't give. He had to keep Quirrell from giving his whole attention to the mirror. 

"My friends always think Snape's evil and is trying to use me and secretly hates me." He says with a raised eyebrow. "But that's far from the truth. He's a good teacher."

"Yes, I suspected he'd hate you, too." Quirrell said casually. "Good heavens, yes. He was at Hogwarts with your father, didn't you know? They loathed each other." 

Harry's eyes widened at this. Why would they do that? Although people bicker over all kinds of things, like him and Hermione for example. 

"Oh?" He just raised an eyebrow.

"But for some reason, when you came to the school, Snape didn't look like he wanted to make your school life miserable. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he enjoys your company." He looks thoughtful. "Perhaps it's something to do with your mother."

Harry looked shocked. "What about my mother?"

"Snape and her were close friends, so I heard. I suppose now that she's gone, he sees it as a duty to look after her terminally ill son because she can't do it herself as she's rotting in the gr-"

"Shut up!" Harry screamed. He didn't want to listen to any more of this. He didn't like hearing people bad mouth him for something he couldn't control and he _definitely_ didn't like hearing people badmouth his mother and degrade her for her death which was not her fault. 

It was nice to hear that her and Snape were friends and it was nice to hear that Snape may be looking out for him for his old friend's sake, but he'd much rather be hit with the Obliviate charm right now so he could forget all the insults he's just heard.

Quirrell just grinned down at him. 

"No." 

"I heard you a few days ago, sobbing. It sounded like someone was threatening you..." Harry told him. He wanted to spin this back onto him.

Finally, for the first time, a spasm of fear flitted across Quirrell's face.

"Sometimes I find it hard to follow my master's instructions. He is a great wizard and sometimes I am weak."

"You mean he was there in the classroom with you?" Harry gasped.

"He is with me wherever I go." Said Quirrell quietly. "I met him when I traveled around the world. A foolish young man I was then, full of ridiculous ideas about good and evil. Lord Voldemort showed me how wrong I was. There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it... Since then, I have served him faithfully, although I have let him down many times. He has had to be very hard on me." Quirrell shivered suddenly. "He does not forgive mistakes easily. When I failed to steal the stone from Gringotts, he was most displeased. He punished me... Decided he would have to keep a closer watch on me..."

Harry just laughed at him. "You're letting yourself be treated like a dog. Why would you follow someone's orders? Just walk away."

"You have no right to say that to my face, dog!" Quirrell spat at Harry, making him cringe.

_'Don't let him get under your skin!'_ Harry kept telling himself.

Quirrell cursed under his breath. 

"I don't understand... Is the Stone inside the mirror? Should I break it?" He was muttering to himself again.

Harry's mind was racing. 

_'What I want more than anything else in the world at the moment is to find the Stone before Quirrell does. So if I look in the mirror, I should see myself finding it, which means I'll see where it's hidden! But how can I look without Quirrell realizing what I'm up to?'_ He thought to himself.

He tried to stand up to get in front of the glass without Quirrell noticing, but the ropes around his ankles were too tight. He tripped and fell over. Quirrell just ignored him and continued talking to himself. 

"What does this mirror do? How does it work? Help me, Master!"

To Harry's horror, a raspy voice answered, and the voice seemed to come from Quirrell himself. 

"Use the boy... Use the boy..."

Quirrell rounded on Harry. 

"Yes, Potter, come here."

He clapped his hands once, and the ropes binding Harry fell off. Harry got slowly to his feet. 

"Come here!" Quirrell repeated. "Look in the mirror and tell me what you see."

Harry walked toward him slowly.

_'I just have to lie.'_ He thought to himself desperately. _'Just look into the mirror and lie about what you see, that's all.'_

Quirrell moved close behind him. Harry breathed in the funny smell that seemed to come from Quirrell's turban and cringed. He still smelled like garlic. He stepped in front of the mirror and gulped.

He saw his reflection, pale and scared looking at first. But a moment later, the reflection smiled at him. It put its hand into its pocket and pulled out a blood red stone. It winked and put the Stone back in its pocket and as it did so, Harry felt something heavy drop into his real pocket.

Somehow, incredibly, he'd gotten the Stone. 

"Well?" Asked Quirrell impatiently. "What do you see?"

Harry took in a deep breath.

"I see myself shaking hands with Dumbledore. I've won the House Cup for Gryffindor." He says casually.

Quirrell cursed again. 

"Get out of the way." He said. As Harry moved aside, he felt the Philosopher's Stone against his leg. He thought about running for it, back through the flames.

But he hadn't walked five paces before a high voice spoke, though Quirrell wasn't moving his lips. 

"He lies... He lies..."

"Potter, come back here!" Quirrell shouted. "Tell me the truth! What did you just see?"

The high voice spoke again. 

"Let me speak to him... Face to face..."

"Master, you are not strong enough!"

"I have strength enough... For this..."

Harry felt as if he’d been hit with the Petrifying Curse he’d hit Neville with back in the common room. He was rooted to the spot and couldn't move a muscle. Terrified, he watched as Quirrell reached up and began to unwrap his turban. What was going on? The turban fell away and Harry realised Quirrell's head looked strangely small without it. Then he turned slowly on the spot. 

Harry would have screamed, but he couldn't make a sound. Where there should have been a back to Quirrell's head, there was, instead, a face. And it was the most horrible looking face Harry had ever seen. It was chalk white with glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake. 

"Harry Potter... " It whispered. 

Harry tried to take a step backward but his legs wouldn't move. 

"See what I have become?" The face said. "Mere shadow and vapour... I have form only when I can share another's body... But there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds... Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past weeks... You saw faithful Quirrell drinking it for me in the forest... And once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own... Now... Why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket?"

So, he knew. Harry didn't know how, but he did. The feeling suddenly surged back into Harry's legs and he stumbled backward. 

"Don't be a fool." Snarled the face. "Better save your own life and join me... Or you'll meet the same end as your parents... They died begging me for mercy..."

"Liar!" Harry shouted viciously. He was furious and clenching his fists so tightly, the blood circulation was cut off from his hands.

Quirrell was walking backwards at him, so that Voldemort could still see him. The evil face was now smiling.

He knew that he was going to get attacked, there was no doubt about it. He ripped off his gloves and shoved them into his empty pocket and felt his sharp nails scrape against his palms. 

"I always value bravery... Yes, boy, your parents were brave... I killed your father first and he put up a courageous fight... But your mother needn't have died... She was trying to protect you... Now give me the Stone, unless you want her to have died in vain."

"Never!" He growled. 

Died in vain? Is he serious? He'd never just hand over an item that would allow the murderer of his parents to go away free and happy. He'd fight to the death if it meant that he could try and stop him from going on this crazy rampage any longer.

That's not dying in vain. He likes to believe his parents would be proud of him. 

Harry suddenly ran toward the flame door, but Voldemort screamed. 

"Seize him!"

Harry then felt Quirrell's hand close on his wrist. At once, a sharp pain seared across Harry's scar, his head felt as though it was about to split in two. He yelled, struggling with all his might, and to his surprise, Quirrell let go of him. 

The pain in his head lessened and he looked around wildly to see where Quirrell had gone. He saw him hunched in pain, looking at his fingers. They were blistering before his eyes and Harry winced.

"I said seize him!" Shrieked Voldemort again and Quirrell lunged, knocking Harry clean off his feet landing on top of him, both hands around Harry's neck.

Harry's scar was almost blinding him with pain, yet he could see Quirrell howling in agony. 

"Master, I cannot hold him. My hands, my hands!"

Harry didn't care about Quirrell's stupid hands, he just focused on trying to catch his breath. He saw smoke rising up from around his neck and his eyes widened. Quirrell's grip appeared to be loosening.

Even though he was pinning Harry to the ground with his knees, he eventually let go of his neck and stared, bewildered, at his own palms, whimpering. Harry could see they looked burned, raw, red, and shiny. 

"Then kill him, fool, and be done!" Screeched Voldemort. 

Quirrell raised his hand, about to grab his wand to perform a deadly curse, but Harry, by instinct, reached up and lashed out.

He snarled and scratched his nails right across Quirrell's face, leaving bloodied red lines over him. He fell back on the ground and screamed in pain. Harry jumped on top of him with quick speed and glared.

He was just so angry. All the insults about himself and his parents had him upset. Everything he had to do to get here had him stressed. He was in the middle of being murdered and was terrified. His friend was injured and he was worried sick about him. Plus, he feels incredibly ill because he's going through a full moon night. 

He should be in bed, wrapped up in blankets, practising his Occlumency and Mindscaping to calm himself down. He should be munching on a steak. He should be scribbling in his sketchbook. He should be wearing his gloves as protective gear. He should be drinking his Wolfsbane Potion and trying to stay healthy.

Wolfsbane...

With a gasp of breath, Harry realised he'd completely forgotten to take his potion tonight. He'd been so preoccupied with coming down here and catching Quirrell that he recklessly abandoned his own wellbeing. He'd forgotten that tonight was the full moon night and that he had to take his potion otherwise he'll transform.

He felt a hot rush of anger run through him, seeping into his bones and he let out a _growl_ , staring down at Quirrell, knowing this was his fault.

Then, he just lost control.

He started scratching his nails all over Quirrell, dragging them down his face, growling and snarling at him, relishing in the blood that dropped everywhere. He clawed through his throat and saw Quirrell gargle on his own blood as it spilled down his front. 

He'd brought his burned hands up to his neck to try and stop the bleeding but it was no use. Harry just got madder and madder. 

Harry's body began to hurt and he viciously lashed out more.

He clawed into Quirrell's eyes so he was blinded and scratched his hands up, making the blistering worse so he wouldn't be able to hold anything ever again. 

The whole time he was at it, he ignored all the screaming coming from the body below him. All he wanted to do was cause pain. He noticed smoke coming up from his hands, erupting every time he he'd touch Quirrell, and when he started paying attention, he could distinctly hear Quirrell's shrieks of pain and Voldemort screaming for him to kill him.

But this didn't frighten him off, at all.

Harry's body got hotter and hotter until the pain in his forehead was no longer the problem.

He felt his bones begin to crack and his spine felt like it was shifting. His chest felt like it was being torn open and his breathing picked up. It felt like his monthly episodes when he's on his potion, but so much worse. His nails got longer and he felt his teeth get sharper too, judging by the way they cut into his tongue and filled his mouth with blood. His skin felt like it was stretching, he heard ripping noises and he distinctly felt like he was rising off the ground, as if being lifted off Quirrell somehow. He felt taller and stronger.

It all seemed oddly familiar.

He looked down and noticed his clothes were shredded beneath him lying in a heap on the floor, he was high off the ground standing tall, and Quirrell was laying motionless, too. Dead.

_'I killed him, I killed my teacher! But that means I must have killed Voldermort. Right?'_ He thought confused and worried to himself.

He didn't have very much time to think about it though because eventually everything dulled out into blackness, as if he was falling into unconsciousness or sleep. 

The last thing he heard was a howl and then nothing more. 

* * *

Harry groaned and turned his head into the pillow he was laying on. It was comfy and he had a warm blanket pulled over him. He lifted up his sore arms and rubbed his tired eyes, blinking them open.

He looked around and noticed he was in the hospital wing. There was also a stash of sweets on his bedside table.

He heard footsteps and then the smiling face of Albus Dumbledore swam into view from the doorway. He came in and stood by his bed, leaning over him.

"Good afternoon, Harry." Dumbledore smiled.

Harry stared at him confused before nodding slowly. "Uh, you too." He sat up straighter and tried to gather his thoughts before remembering. "Sir, the Stone! It was Quirrell! He's got the Stone! At least, I think he has." Harry sighed, clutching his head.

"Calm yourself, dear boy, you are a little behind on the times." Said Dumbledore. "Quirrell does not have the Stone."

"Then who does? Sir, I-"

"Harry, please relax, or Madam Pomfrey will have me thrown out."

Harry swallowed and took in some deep breaths. 

"Tokens from your friends and admirers." Dumbledore said, beaming, pointing to the sweets. "What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally, the whole school knows."

Harry's eyes went wide and he clutched his head, ripping at his hair. He felt like he was forgetting something vital. "What..." He sighed and looked down at his palms which had big cuts on them in the shape of fingernails. He also looked to his arms which had nasty scratches and bruises all over them. But that means... "No, no, no! Tell me you're kidding." Harry teared up.

Dumbledore just raised a hand, trying to calm him. "It's okay, Harry. I misspoke." He smiled. "What I mean to say is that the school have found out you and your friends went into the forbidden corridor and risked your lives for a precious artefact. They have not, however, found out about the other incident." He looked to him reassuringly. "We assure you, it's kept hushed up."

Harry let out a relived breath.

"But sir, Professor Quirrell... What happened to him?" Harry asked nervously. "What happened to me? I don't remember anything after when he tried to kill me. It all became blurry."

Dumbledore sighed.

"You've been in here for three days. When you came here, it was a full moon night and it had appeared you hadn't taken your potion." He gave Harry a reprimanding look. "When we went down there, we had to leave you locked up in the chamber all night until you transformed back." 

Harry just groaned miserably. "I'm sorry." He said ashamed. "We were just so busy trying to find the Stone that I completely for-"

"It's quite alright, Harry. It happens, it's what makes us _human_." He said, stressing the word for his behalf, giving him a smile. Harry appreciated it greatly.

"So, what about Quirrell?" Harry wrung his hands nervously. 

"Professor Quirrell unfortunately did not make it out of there that night." He said in a grave voice. Harry just shuddered. So, he definitely killed him then. "But, you don't have to worry."

"Sir, I killed him. I'm a murderer!" Harry whisper shouted in case anyone else could hear. 

Dumbledore sighed and sat down on his bed next to him. "Professor Quirrell wouldn't have survived much longer with the way Voldemort was treating him. He was only using him so he could get a body of his own and once he was done with Quirrell, he'd simply discard of him." He said in a pitiful voice. 

Harry thought the same thing when he was ranting away to him in the chamber about running off with Voldemort. How pathetic.

"I suppose..."

"You are _not_ those things you say you are." Dumbledore reassures him. “Please, do not think that, ever.”

Harry just nodded. "Okay."

"I believe your friends Misters Fred and George Weasley were responsible for trying to send you a toilet seat. No doubt they thought it would amuse you. Madam Pomfrey, however, felt it might not be very hygienic, and confiscated it."

Harry grinned at that. "That sounds like them."

"I'm sure Mr. Ronald Weasley and Miss Granger will be most relieved you have come round, they have been extremely worried."

Harry raised an eyebrow at that and nodded. 

"But sir, about the Stone. How did-"

"I see you are not to be distracted. Very well, the Stone. Professor Quirrell did not manage to take it from you. I arrived in time to prevent that, obviously having to wait until you'd calmed down, of course. Although you were doing very well on your own, I must say." 

"You got there? You got Hermione's owl?"

"We must have crossed in midair. No sooner had I reached London than it became clear to me that the place I should be was the one I had just left. I arrived just in time to see you transform, I'm afraid."

"I'm sorry you had to see it."

"Nonsense!" Dumbledore said. "I'm sorry you had to go through it."

"I tried to keep him off the Stone as long as I could but I suddenly just-"

"I know, it's alright. I understand. You did your absolute best. As for the Stone, it has been destroyed."

"Destroyed?" Asked Harry blankly. "But your friend, Nicolas Flamel-"

"Oh, you know about Nicolas?" Said Dumbledore, sounding quite delighted. "You did do the thing properly, didn't you? Well, Nicolas and I have had a little chat, and agreed it's all for the best."

"But that means he and his wife will die, won't they?"

"They have enough Elixir stored to set their affairs in order and then, yes, they will die."

Dumbledore just smiled at the look of shock on Harry's face. 

"To one as young as you, I'm sure it seems incredible, but to Nicolas and Perenelle, it really is like going to bed after a very, very long day. After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure. You know, the Stone was really not such a wonderful thing. As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all. The trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them."

Harry lay there, lost for words. Dumbledore hummed a little and smiled at the ceiling.

"Sir?" Said Harry. "I've been thinking... Even if the Stone's gone, Vol- I mean, You Know Who-"

"You can call him Voldemort, Harry. Always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself."

Harry smiled. He was just so used to using that name because of Ron, trying not to scare him.

"Okay. Well, Voldemort's going to try other ways of coming back, isn't he? I mean, he hasn't gone, has he?"

"No, Harry, he has not. He is still out there somewhere, perhaps looking for another body to share... Not being truly alive, he cannot be killed. He left Quirrell to die, he shows just as little mercy to his followers as his enemies. Nevertheless, Harry, while you may only have delayed his return to power, it will merely take someone else who is prepared to fight what seems a losing battle next time. And if he is delayed again, and again, why, he may never return to power."

Harry nodded, but stopped quickly, because it made his head hurt. "Sir, there are some other things I'd like to know, if you can tell me... Things I want to know the truth about."

Dumbledore sighed. "It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution. However, I shall answer your questions unless I have a very good reason not to, in which case I beg you'll forgive me. I shall not, of course, lie."

"Well... Voldemort said that he only killed my mother because she tried to stop him from killing me. But why would he want to kill me in the first place?"

Dumbledore sighed very deeply this time. 

"Alas, the first thing you ask me, I cannot tell you. Not today. Not now. You will know, one day... Put it from your mind for now, Harry. When you are older... I know you hate to hear this... When you are ready, you will know."

Harry was frustrated, he didn’t like being kept in the dark and not having answers. But he knew it would be no good to argue. 

"But why couldn't Quirrell touch me? Every time he did, it pained him."

"Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn't realise that love as powerful as your mother's for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign... To have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever. It is in your very skin. Quirrell, full of hatred, greed, and ambition, sharing his soul with Voldemort, could not touch you for this reason. It was agony to touch a person marked by something so good."

Dumbledore now became very interested in a bird out on the windowsill, which gave Harry time to dry his eyes on the sheet. He suddenly felt emotional. His mother really did love him, then. The thought brings a sad smile to his face. When he had found his voice again, Harry spoke up. "And the Invisibility Cloak, do you know who sent it to me?"

"Ah, your father happened to leave it in my possession and I thought you might like it." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Useful things... Your father used it mainly for sneaking off to the kitchens to steal food when he was here."

Harry grinned at that.

"And there's something else..."

"Fire away."

"Quirrell said Professor Snape hated my father but was friends with my mother. He said that the reason he looks out for me is because he's doing it for her. Is that true?"

"Well, your father and Professor Snape did rather detest each other. Not unlike yourself and Mr. Malfoy. Childlike rivalries, they happen to most of us. But then, your father did something Professor Snape could never forgive."

"What’s that?"

"He saved his life."

"What?" Harry asked confused.

"Yes..." Said Dumbledore dreamily. "Funny, the way people's minds work, isn't it? Professor Snape couldn't bear being in your father's debt... Completely understandable, of course. As for your mother. They were indeed very good friends, even before school. But they had a bit of a falling out before they graduated and sadly never got the chance to make amends before she died." He said with a sad voice.

"Oh." Harry said, biting his lip in thought. He now felt really bad for Snape. Turns out Harry’s not the only one who lost someone close to him that day. He wouldn’t bring it up, though. He doesn’t exactly like talking about it, himself.

"I do believe he worked so hard to protect you this year because he felt that would somehow make it up to her, out of loyalty he still holds for her." He smiled at him. "Plus, with the way he speaks of you during staff meetings, he really does seem to think you're a mini Potions master."

Harry grinned and nodded. That part was true. He was still trying to understand this all and it made his head pound, so he just rubbed his tired eyes and sighed. 

"And sir, there's one more thing..."

"Just the one?"

"How did I get the Stone out of the mirror?"

"Ah, now, I'm glad you asked me that. It was one of my more brilliant ideas, and between you and me, that's saying something. You see, only one who wanted to find the Stone, but not use it, would be able to get it, otherwise they'd just see themselves making gold or drinking Elixir of Life. My brain surprises even me sometimes... Now, enough questions. I suggest you make a start on these sweets. Ah! Bettie Bott's Every Flavour Beans! I was unfortunate enough in my youth to come across a vomit flavoured one and since then I'm afraid I've rather lost my liking for them, but I think I'll be safe with a nice toffee, don't you?"

“Sure, go ahead.” 

He smiled and popped the golden-brown bean into his mouth. Then he choked. "Alas! Ear wax!"

Harry snorted and watched him leave the hospital wing.

Harry heard noises at the door and saw Ron pop his head in the door, grinning at him. He also saw a head of bushy hair and immediately knew it'd be Hermione. This time, he didn't really mind.

Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, was a nice woman, but very strict. 

"Just five minutes." Harry pleaded. 

"Absolutely not."

"You let Professor Dumbledore in..."

"Well, of course, that was the headmaster, quite different. You need rest."

"I am resting, look, lying down and everything." He said, getting into position. "Oh, go on, Madam Pomfrey..."

"Tsk, very well." She said. "But five minutes only."

She let Ron and Hermione in who immediately ran over to him.

"Harry!"

Hermione looked ready to fling her arms around him again, but Harry was glad she held herself in with a blush as his head was still very sore and he was still a bit on the fence with the hugging. 

“Hey.” He mumbled.

"Oh, Harry, we were sure you were going to... Dumbledore was so worried." She sighed.

"The whole school's talking about it." Ron said. "What really happened?"

It was one of those rare occasions when the true story is even more strange and exciting than the wild rumors. Harry told them everything, leaving out the part about his werewolf transformation.

The mirror, the Stone and Voldemort. Ron and Hermione were a very good audience, they gasped in all the right places, and when Harry told them what was under Quirrell's turban, Hermione screamed out loud. 

"So the Stone's gone?" Asked Ron finally. "Flamel's just going to die?"

"That's what I said, but Dumbledore thinks that 'to the well-organised mind, death is but the next great adventure.'"

"I always said he was off his rocker." Said Ron, looking quite impressed at how crazy his hero was. 

Harry just gave him an unimpressed look, as well as Hermione.

"Now, I think you both owe me an apology." 

"What for?" Ron asked.

Harry just raised his eyebrows in shock.

Hermione caught on, though. "We're sorry for not taking your side. We should have believed you, especially when you were talking about the pain in your scar." 

Harry nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Hermione."

Ron just sighed. "Well, we still had every right to be suspicious."

"Even though I gave you both countless amounts of proof?" He raised another eyebrow. Ron just threw up his hands defeated. "Hmm..."

"Sorry, then." Ron mumbled. Harry grinned.

"Thanks. Now go apologise to Snape."

"What?!" They both yelled in sync.

Harry just giggled. "Kidding."

They both just glared at him for a moment before laughing, too. 

"Bloody moron." Ron mumbled.

"So what happened to you two?" Asked Harry. 

"Well, I got back all right." Said Hermione. "I brought Ron round, that took a while, and we were dashing up to the owlery to contact Dumbledore when we met him in the entrance hall. He already knew. He just said, 'Harry's gone after him, hasn't he?' and hurtled off to the third floor."

"D'you think he meant for you to do it?" Asked Ron. "Sending you your father's cloak and everything?"

"Well if he did, that's terrible, you could have been killed!" She exploded.

"No, it isn't." Said Harry thoughtfully. "He's a funny man, Dumbledore. I think he sort of wanted to give me a chance. I think he knows more or less everything that goes on here, you know. I reckon he had a pretty good idea we were going to try, and instead of stopping us, he just taught us enough to help. I don't think it was an accident he let me find out how the mirror worked. It's almost like he thought I had the right to face Voldemort if I could..."

"Yeah, Dumbledore's off his rocker, all right. Said Ron, rolling his eyes. "Listen, you've got to be up for the end of year feast tomorrow. The points are all in and Slytherin won, of course. You missed the last Quidditch match, we were steamrollered by Ravenclaw without you, but the food'll be good."

At that moment, Madam Pomfrey bustled over. 

"You've had nearly fifteen minutes, now out." She said firmly.

They waved goodbye to him and Harry rolled over in the bed to try and get some rest as his head was still throbbing.

After a good night's sleep, Harry felt nearly back to normal. His skin still hurt but Madam Pomfrey bandaged him up and gave him some pain potions.

"I want to go to the feast.” He told Madam Pomfrey in the morning as she checked over his bandages. "I can go, right? I’m feeling much better."

"Professor Dumbledore says you are to be allowed to go.” She said stiffly, as though in her opinion Professor Dumbledore didn't realise how risky feasts could be. "But you feel sick at all and you come straight back, understand?” Harry nodded and she looked more at ease. “Looks like you have another visitor." She said suddenly.

"Oh? Who is it?"

Hagrid walked through the door and Harry smiled at him widely. As usual when he was indoors, Hagrid looked too big to be allowed. He sat down next to Harry, took one look at him and burst into tears. 

"It's all my ruddy fault!" He sobbed, his face in his hands. “I told the evil git how ter get past Fluffy! I told him! It was the only thing he didn't know, an' I told him! Yeh could've died! All fer a dragon egg! I'll never drink again! I should be chucked out an' made ter live as a Muggle!"

"Hagrid!" Harry gasped, shocked to see Hagrid shaking with grief and remorse, giant tears leaking down into his beard. "Hagrid, stop crying! He'd have found out somehow, this is Voldemort we're talking about, he'd have found out even if you hadn't told him.”

"Yeh could've died!" Sobbed Hagrid. "An' don' say the name!"

"Voldemort!" Harry yelled loudly and Hagrid was so shocked, he stopped crying. "I've met him and I'm calling him by his name.” He said seriously. “Please cheer up, Hagrid, we saved the Stone, it's gone, he can't use it. Have a Chocolate Frog, I've got loads..." He said, grabbing one and giving it to him. “You know I won’t eat them anyway.” He mumbled. 

Hagrid wiped his nose on the back of his hand and put the sweets in his pocket with a smile. “You’ve reminded me. I've got yeh a present." 

"It's not a stoat sandwich, is it?" Asked Harry anxiously, and at last Hagrid gave a weak chuckle. 

"Nah. Dumbledore gave me the day off yesterday ter fix it. 'course, he shoulda sacked me instead. Anyway, got yeh this..."

It seemed to be a shiny, leather covered book. Harry opened it curiously. It was full of wizard photographs. And then, smiling and waving at him from every page were his mother and father. 

"Sent owls off ter all yer parents' old school friends, askin' fer photos... Knew yeh didn' have any... D'yeh like it?"

Harry couldn't speak, he was tearing up yet again and sniffing, blinking rapidly to stop himself from crying. Hagrid understood and didn’t say anything, just let him have his moment. 

Eventually, Harry made his way down to the end of year feast alone that night. He had been held up by Madam Pomfrey's fussing, her insisting on giving him one last checkup, putting some cream on his facial scars to sooth them because they were still a bit inflamed, therefore the Great Hall was already full. It was decked out in the Slytherin colours of green and silver to celebrate Slytherin's winning the House Cup for the seventh year in a row. A huge banner showing the Slytherin serpent covered the wall behind the High Table. 

When Harry walked in there was a sudden hush, and then everybody started talking loudly at once. He ignored it all and slipped into a seat between Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table, trying to ignore the fact that people were standing up to look at him. 

_‘I can’t look that bad, can I?’_ He thought self deprecatingly.

Fortunately, Dumbledore arrived moments later. The babble died away. 

"Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were... You have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts...”

Harry briefly overheard the Weasley twins making jokes about wheezing waffles and had to hold in a laugh. He didn’t want anyone to think any less of him if he burst out into hysterics right now.

"Now, as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus. In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points. In third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty two. Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy two."

A storm of cheering and stamping broke out from the Slytherin table. Harry could see Draco Malfoy banging his goblet on the table. It was a sickening sight. 

He would be happy for them if it were under different circumstances, such as Malfoy not being out to constantly sabotage him and his House, losing points because of curfew breaking as they have to smuggle dragons, and just maybe due to the fact that Malfoy was giving him a smug look from across the hall that made him want to use the Blood Boiling Curse on him.

"Yes, yes, well done, Slytherin.” Said Dumbledore. "However, recent events must be taken into account."

The room went very still. The Slytherins' smiles faded a little. 

"Ahem.” Dumbledore cleared his throat. “I have a few last minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes... First , to Mr. Ronald Weasley..."

Ron went purple in the face, it was a nice colour combination with his hair.

"...for the best played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."

Gryffindor cheers nearly raised the bewitched ceiling, the stars overhead seemed to quiver. Percy could be heard telling the other prefects, "My brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past McGonagall's giant chess set!"

At last there was silence again. 

"Second, to Miss Hermione Granger... For the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points.”

Hermione buried her face in her arms, Harry strongly suspected she had burst into tears. Gryffindors up and down the table were beside themselves, they were a hundred points up. 

"Third, to Mr. Harry Potter..." Said Dumbledore. The room went deadly quiet. "... For pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points."

The cheers were deafening. Harry would plug his fingers in his ears but he didn’t want to seem rude. Those who could add up while yelling themselves hoarse knew that Gryffindor now had four hundred and seventy two points, exactly the same as Slytherin. They had tied for the house cup, if only Dumbledore had given Harry just one more point. 

Dumbledore raised his hand. The room gradually fell silent. 

"There are all kinds of courage.” Said Dumbledore, smiling. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom."

Someone standing outside the Great Hall might well have thought some sort of explosion had taken place. The noises that erupted from the Gryffindor table were that loud. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood up to yell and cheer as Neville, white with shock, disappeared under a pile of people hugging him. He had never won so much as a point for Gryffindor before. 

Harry, still cheering, nudged Ron in the ribs and pointed at Malfoy, who couldn't have looked more stunned and horrified if he'd just had the Body Bind Curse put on him. 

“Brilliant!” Ron laughed at him. 

“I know, he deserves that.” Harry grinned.

"Which means.” Dumbledore called over the storm of applause, for even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were celebrating the downfall of Slytherin. “We need a little change of decoration.”

He clapped his hands and in an instant, the green hangings became scarlet and the silver became gold. The huge Slytherin serpent vanished and a towering Gryffindor lion took its place. 

Snape was shaking Professor McGonagall's hand, with a horrible, forced smile. He didn’t seem to like all the noise, just like Harry. He looked like he’d rather go back to the dungeons, just like Harry felt like going back to the tower, even though it’ll still be noisy there.

He caught Harry's eye and gave a small nod and he knew that Snape wasn’t feeling annoyed with him or hostile with this points system outcome. He didn’t particularly care for it, anyway, just like quidditch. Harry just nodded back.

It was one of the best evenings of Harry's life, better than winning the Quidditch Cup, or when it was Christmas in the tower, or running around the castle invisible. He would never, ever forget tonight, seeing all the smiles his way and not feeling like an outsider or a freak. 

Harry had almost forgotten that the exam results were still to come, but they did. To his great surprise, Ron had passed with good marks, Hermione had passed with amazing marks and Harry just grinned when he realised he had the best grades of the first years. This made Hermione glare at him, obviously, but he paid it no attention.

Even Neville scraped through, his good Herbology mark making up for his abysmal Potions one. They had hoped that Goyle, who was almost as stupid as he was mean, might be thrown out, but he had passed, too. It was a shame, but as Ron said, you couldn't have everything in life. 

When they were in their dorms, they realised their wardrobes were empty and their trunks were packed, most likely the work of the house elves. Neville's toad was found lurking in a corner of the toilets and notes were handed out to all students, warning them not to use magic over the holidays.

"I always hope they'll forget to give us these.” Fred had said sadly, clearly interested in blowing things up with George.

Harry’s sketchbook was also packed away, along with his pencils. It hadn’t been opened, thankfully.

There was also multiple vials of Wolfsbane Potion inside his trunk, courtesy of Professor Snape who would have brewed it for him to have during the holidays. 

It had a note attached. 

> _Don’t be an idiot and forget again. Good luck_

Yeah, it was definitely him. He must have brewed it when he was in the hospital. Thanks Snape.

When it was time to leave, Hagrid was there to take them all down to the fleet of boats that sailed across the lake. He’d stopped Harry before he got on the train and smiled at him.

“Promise to take care of yourself?” He asked in a hopeful voice.

Harry just grinned at him. “As best as I can, I promise.” 

They both leaned in for a hug, Harry getting squashed by his big arms. Hagrid was wiping his eyes when Harry eventually headed for the train. 

When they boarded the Hogwarts Express, Harry sat with Ron and Hermione in a compartment, talking and laughing as the countryside became greener and tidier, eating Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans and Harry cringing when Ron offered him a Chocolate a Frog. He opened up a window and let it jump out, earning a squeak from Ron and he laughed hysterically.

Hermione just rolled her eyes at their behaviour.

As they sped past Muggle towns, they started pulling off their wizard robes and putting on jackets and coats, pulling into platform nine and three quarters at King's Cross Station. 

It took quite a while for them all to get off the platform. An old guard was up by the ticket barrier, letting them go through the gate in twos and threes so they didn't attract attention by all bursting out of a solid wall at once and alarming the Muggles. 

"You must come and stay this summer.” Said Ron. “The both of you. I'll send you an owl.”

"Thanks.” Harry said with a smile. “I'll need something to look forward to." People jostled them as they moved forward toward the gateway back to the Muggle world. Some of them called out.

"Bye, Harry!"

"See you, Potter!"

"Still famous, then.” Ron said, grinning at him. 

"Not where I'm going, I promise you..." Harry mumbled. 

He, Ron, and Hermione all passed through the gateway together, running as fast as they could at the non-solid brick wall. 

"There he is, mum, there he is, look!"

It was Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister, but she wasn't pointing at Ron.

"Harry Potter!" She squealed. "Look, mum, I can see-"

"Be quiet, Ginny, and it's rude to point.”

Mrs. Weasley smiled down at them.

"Busy year?" She asked.

"Very.” Harry sighed. “Thanks for the fudge and the jumper, Mrs. Weasley." He smiled sweetly.

"Oh, it was nothing, dear.”

"Ready, are you?"

It was Uncle Vernon, still purple faced, still moustached, still looking furious at the nerve of Harry, carrying an owl in a cage in a station full of ordinary people. Behind him stood Aunt Petunia and Dudley, looking terrified at the very sight of Harry. 

"You must be Harry's family!" Mrs. Weasley spoke up cheerfully.

"In a manner of speaking.” Uncle Vernon grumbled. "Hurry up, boy, we haven't got all day." He walked away with a frown.

Harry scowled and hung back for a last word with Ron and Hermione. 

"See you over the summer, then.”

"Hope you have, er, a good holiday.” Hermione said, looking uncertainly after Uncle Vernon, shocked that anyone could be so unpleasant. 

"Oh, I will.” Harry smirked, and she gulped, surprised at the grin that was spreading over his face. 

“What do you-“

"They don't know we're not allowed to use magic at home. I'm going to have a lot of fun with Dudley this summer...”

“Oh, okay.” She muttered, giving an awkward smile. “Have fun?” 

Harry nodded. He turned to Ron and held out his arms. Ron’s eyes lit up and he threw himself at him, enveloping him in a big hug, making Harry laugh. 

“See you, mate.” Ron whispered to him.

“You, too.” Harry whispered back before finally running off.

_‘I sure hope this summer will be better that the last one.’_ He thought desperately to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you like what you read <3


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